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One may think of fibrosis as scarring in response to injury to cells of the body. It may occur in any tissus of the body but is commonly thought of in referring to the liver (cirrhosis), the lungs, and the heart. Imagine that each of these organs is initially smooth and pliable. After an injury to the cells, they begin to be replaced by small scars which relults in a fibrous mass. One might think of a scar on the skin. Where it was once smooth and pliable, after injury it is replaced by a scar which is firmer and less pliable. That is what happens to tissues inside the body as well. The injury to cells can occur from toxins (alcohol, drugs, poisons, etc.), infections, cancers, radiation, or trauma. Physicians use everything from physical examination (a cirrhotic liver can be felt below the ribs on the right side) to CT and MRI imaging. The gold standard for diagnosis of fibrosis of any tissue though is biopsy and microscopic examination.
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