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Engel B, Falk Villesen I, Fisker Nielsen MJ, Karsdal M, Taubert R, Jaeckel E, Leeming DJ. Quantification of extracellular matrix remodeling for the non-invasive identification of graft fibrosis after liver transplantation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6103. [PMID: 37055472 PMCID: PMC10101979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33100-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Detecting patients with early post-transplant fibrosis after liver transplantation (LT) is very important. Non-invasive tests are needed to avoid liver biopsies. We aimed to detect fibrosis in liver transplant recipients (LTR) using extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling biomarkers. ECM biomarkers for type III (PRO-C3), IV (PRO-C4), VI (PRO-C6) and XVIII (PRO-C18L) collagen formation and type IV collagen degradation (C4M) were measured by ELISA in prospectively collected, cryopreserved plasma samples (n = 100) of LTR with paired liver biopsies from a protocol biopsy program. Fibrosis ≥ F2 was present in 29% of patients (median 44 months post-LT). APRI and FIB-4 neither identified significant fibrosis nor were correlated with histopathological fibrosis scores, while ECM biomarkers (AUCs 0.67-0.74) did. The median levels of PRO-C3 (15.7 vs. 11.6 ng/ml; p = 0.002) and C4M (22.9 vs. 11.6 ng/ml; p = 0.006) levels were elevated in T-cell-mediated rejection compared to normal graft function. The median levels of PRO-C4 (178.9 vs. 151.8 ng/ml; p = 0.009) and C4M (18.9 vs. 16.8 ng/ml; p = 0.004) levels were increased if donor-specific antibodies were present. PRO-C6 had the highest sensitivity (100%), NPV (100%) and negative likelihood-ratio (0) for graft fibrosis. To conclude, ECM biomarkers are helpful in identifying patients at risk of relevant graft fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Engel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | | | | | - Morten Karsdal
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Richard Taubert
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Elmar Jaeckel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Ajmera Transplant Centre, Toronto General Hospital, United Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Narita S, Miuma S, Okudaira S, Koga Y, Fukushima M, Sasaki R, Haraguchi M, Soyama A, Hidaka M, Miyaaki H, Futakuchi M, Nagai K, Ichikawa T, Eguchi S, Nakao K. Regular protocol liver biopsy is useful to adjust immunosuppressant dose after adult liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2023; 37:e14873. [PMID: 36443801 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Adjusting immunosuppression to minimal levels post-adult liver transplantation (LT) is critical; however, graft rejection has been reported in LT recipients with normal liver function evaluated by liver biopsy (LBx). Continual protocol liver biopsy (PLB) is performed regularly in LT recipients with normal liver function in some centers; however, its usefulness remains inadequately evaluated. This study aimed to assess retrospectively the usefulness of late PLB after adult LT. METHODS LBx evaluations of LT recipients with normal liver function and hepatitis B and C virus seronegativity were defined as PLB. The cases requiring immunosuppressive therapy for rejection findings based on Banff criteria were extracted from the PLBs, and pathological data collected before and after immunosuppressive dosage adjustment (based on modified histological activity index [HAI] score) were compared. RESULTS Among 548 LBx cases, 213 LBx in 110 recipients fulfilled the inclusion criteria for PLB. Immunosuppressive therapy after PLB was intensified in 14 LBx (6.6%) recipients (12.7%); of these, nine had late-onset acute rejection, three had isolated perivenular inflammation, one had plasma cell-rich rejection, and one had early chronic rejection. Follow-up LBx after immunosuppressive dose adjustment showed improvement in the modified HAI score grading in 10 of 14 cases (71.4%). No clinical background and blood examination data, including those from the post-LT period, immunosuppressant trough level, or examination for de novo DSA, predicted rejection in PLB. Complications of PLB were found in only three cases. CONCLUSION PLB is useful in the management of seemingly stable LT recipients, to discover subclinical rejection and allow for appropriate immunosuppressant dose adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Narita
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Satoshi Miuma
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Sadayuki Okudaira
- Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yoshito Koga
- Transfusion and Cell Therapy Unit, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Masanori Fukushima
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Ryu Sasaki
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Masafumi Haraguchi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Akihiko Soyama
- Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Masaaki Hidaka
- Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Hisamitsu Miyaaki
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Futakuchi
- Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Nagai
- Transfusion and Cell Therapy Unit, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Tatsuki Ichikawa
- Nagasaki Harbor Medical Center, Department of Gastroenterology, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Susumu Eguchi
- Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Nakao
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
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Ismail B, Benrajab KM, Bejarano P, Ruiz P, Sears D, Tzakis A, Zervos XB. Benign course of residual inflammation at end of treatment of liver transplant recipients after sofosbuvir based therapy. World J Hepatol 2022; 14:602-611. [PMID: 35582292 PMCID: PMC9055203 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i3.602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persistent inflammation on histology after successful hepatitis C (HCV) treatment has been reported. However, data regarding the long-term impact in liver transplant recipients is limited, particularly after using direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies.
AIM To evaluate the impact of successful treatment with DAAs on histological changes and occult HCV and to describe the clinical course of residual inflammation in liver transplant recipients.
METHODS We conducted a case series of 13 chronic HCV infected liver transplant recipients successfully treated with DAAs between December 2013 and May 2014. All patients were treated for 24 wk and had non-detectable serum HCV RNA by the time of biopsy. Only patients with at least one liver biopsy at or after treatment were included. We examined liver biopsies for evidence of residual inflammation and the presence of intrahepatic HCV RNA.
RESULTS Persistent inflammation was seen in 12/13 patients on end of treatment biopsy. Inflammation was still seen in the available five follow-up biopsies (range 38-48 wk after the end of treatment). Intrahepatic HCV RNA was undetectable in all biopsies. All patients had preserved graft function for a mean follow-up of 2.5 years, except one that developed chronic rejection.
CONCLUSION After successful HCV treatment with DAAs, liver transplant recipients may have persistent inflammation on biopsy without evidence of intracellular RNA. The clinical outcome remained favorable in most patients. Further studies with a larger number and longer follow-up are needed to establish the implication of this finding on long-term graft function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahaaeldeen Ismail
- Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - Karim M Benrajab
- Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - Pablo Bejarano
- Department of Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL 33331, United States
| | - Phillip Ruiz
- Department of Pathology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Debbie Sears
- Department of Liver Transplant, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL 33331, United States
| | - Andreas Tzakis
- Department of Liver Transplant, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL 33331, United States
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Feng S, Bucuvalas JC, Demetris AJ, Burrell BE, Spain KM, Kanaparthi S, Magee JC, Ikle D, Lesniak A, Lozano JJ, Alonso EM, Bray RA, Bridges NE, Doo E, Gebel HM, Gupta NA, Himes RW, Jackson AM, Lobritto SJ, Mazariegos GV, Ng VL, Rand EB, Sherker AH, Sundaram S, Turmelle YP, Sanchez-Fueyo A. Evidence of Chronic Allograft Injury in Liver Biopsies From Long-term Pediatric Recipients of Liver Transplants. Gastroenterology 2018; 155:1838-1851.e7. [PMID: 30144432 PMCID: PMC6279538 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS A substantial proportion of pediatric liver transplant recipients develop subclinical chronic allograft injury. We studied whether there are distinct patterns of injury based on histopathologic features and identified associated immunologic profiles. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 157 stable, long-term pediatric recipients of transplanted livers (70 boys; > 6 years old at time of transplantation; mean, 8.9 ± 3.46 years after liver transplantation) who underwent liver biopsy analysis from August 13, 2012, through May 1, 2014. Participants had received livers from a living or deceased donor and had consistently normal results from liver tests. Liver biopsy specimens were scored by a central pathologist; an unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis of histologic features was used to sort biopsy samples into 3 clusters. We conducted transcriptional and cytometric analyses of liver tissue samples and performed a systems biology analysis that incorporated clinical, serologic, histologic, and transcriptional data. RESULTS The mean level of alanine aminotransferase in participants was 27.6 ± 14.57 U/L, and the mean level of γ-glutamyl transferase was 17.4 ± 7.93 U/L. Cluster 1 was characterized by interface activity (n = 34), cluster 2 was characterized by periportal or perivenular fibrosis without interface activity (n = 45), and cluster 3 had neither feature (n = 78). We identified a module of genes whose expression correlated with levels of alanine aminotransferase, class II donor-specific antibody, portal inflammation, interface activity, perivenular inflammation, portal and perivenular fibrosis, and cluster assignment. The module was enriched in genes that regulate T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) of liver and other transplanted organs. Functional pathway analysis showed overrepresentation of TCMR gene sets for cluster 1 but not clusters 2 or 3. CONCLUSION In an analysis of biopsies from an apparently homogeneous group of stable, long-term pediatric liver transplant recipients with consistently normal liver test results, we found evidence of chronic graft injury (inflammation and/or fibrosis). Biopsy samples with interface activity had a gene expression pattern associated with TCMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandy Feng
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
| | - John C. Bucuvalas
- Pediatric Liver Care Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
| | | | | | | | | | - John C. Magee
- Section of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | | | - Andrew Lesniak
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Juan J. Lozano
- Biomedical Research Center in Hepatic and Digestive Diseases, Carlos III Health Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estella M. Alonso
- Siragusa Transplantation Center, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Robert A. Bray
- Department of Pathology, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
| | - Nancy E. Bridges
- Transplantation Branch; Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD
| | - Edward Doo
- Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD; Department of Pathology, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
| | - Howard M. Gebel
- Department of Pathology, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
| | - Nitika A. Gupta
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Ryan W. Himes
- Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Annette M. Jackson
- Division of Immunogenetics and Transplantation Immunology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Steven J. Lobritto
- Center for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - George V. Mazariegos
- Hillman Center for Pediatric Transplantation, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Vicky L. Ng
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth B. Rand
- Liver Transplant Program, The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Averell H. Sherker
- Siragusa Transplantation Center, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Shikha Sundaram
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Yumirle P. Turmelle
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO
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Koo J, Wang HL. Acute, Chronic, and Humoral Rejection: Pathologic Features Under Current Immunosuppressive Regimes. Surg Pathol Clin 2018; 11:431-452. [PMID: 29751884 DOI: 10.1016/j.path.2018.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Under current immunosuppressive regimes, T-cell-mediated acute and chronic rejection remain common and important posttransplant complications. The definition of humoral (antibody-mediated) rejection has been greatly expanded in recent years. The histopathologic assessment of allograft biopsies continues to serve an important role in the diagnosis of rejection and to facilitate patient management. The diagnosis of both acute and chronic antibody-mediated rejection requires integration of the results of donor-specific antibody testing and C4d immunostaining, as well as exclusion of other potential etiologies of allograft dysfunction. Chronic antibody-mediated rejection should also be included in the differential diagnosis for unexplained allograft fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Koo
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Boulevard, Room 8707, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
| | - Hanlin L Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 27-061-C8 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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6
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Neves Souza L, de Martino RB, Sanchez-Fueyo A, Rela M, Dhawan A, O'Grady J, Heaton N, Quaglia A. Histopathology of 460 liver allografts removed at retransplantation: A shift in disease patterns over 27 years. Clin Transplant 2018; 32:e13227. [DOI: 10.1111/ctr.13227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rodrigo Bronze de Martino
- Institute of Liver Studies; King's College Hospital; London UK
- Faculdade de Medicina; Departamento de Gastroenterologia; Hospital das Clínicas; Universidade de São Paulo; São Paulo Brazil
| | | | - Mohamed Rela
- Institute of Liver Studies; King's College Hospital; London UK
- Institute of Liver Disease and Transplantation; Global Health City; Chennai India
| | - Anil Dhawan
- Paediatric Liver Centre; King's College Hospital; London UK
| | - John O'Grady
- Institute of Liver Studies; King's College Hospital; London UK
| | - Nigel Heaton
- Institute of Liver Studies; King's College Hospital; London UK
| | - Alberto Quaglia
- Institute of Liver Studies; King's College Hospital; London UK
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7
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Feng S, Bucuvalas J. Tolerance after liver transplantation: Where are we? Liver Transpl 2017; 23:1601-1614. [PMID: 28834221 DOI: 10.1002/lt.24845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Impeccable management of immunosuppression is required to ensure the best longterm outcomes for liver transplant recipients. This is particularly challenging for children who arguably need 8 decades of graft and patient survival. Too little risks chronic, often subclinical allo-immune injury while too much risks insidious and cumulative toxicities. Historically, immunosuppression minimization or withdrawal has been a strategy to optimize the longevity of liver transplant recipients. The literature is sprinkled with single-center reports of operationally tolerant patients - those with apparently normal liver function and liver tests. However, without biopsy evidence of immunological quiescence, confidence in the phenotypic assignment of tolerance is shaky. More recently, multicenter trials of immunosuppression withdrawal for highly selected, stable, longterm adult and pediatric liver recipients have shown tolerance rates, based on both biochemical and histological assessment, of 40% and 60%, respectively. Extended biochemical and histologic follow-up of children over 8 years, equivalent to 7+ years off of drug, suggests that operational tolerance is robust. Therefore, clearly, immunosuppression can be completely and safety withdrawn from highly-selected subsets of adults and children. However, these trials have also confirmed that clinically ideal recipients - those eligible for immunosuppression withdrawal trial - can harbor significant and worrisome inflammation and/or fibrosis. Although the etiology and prognosis of these findings remain unknown, it is reasonable to surmise that they may reflect an anti-donor immune response that is insufficiently controlled. To achieve the outcomes that we are seeking and that our patients are demanding, we desperately need noninvasive but accurate biomarkers that identify whether immunosuppression is neither too much nor too little but "just right." Until these are available, liver histology remains the gold standard to assess allograft health and guide immunosuppression management. Liver Transplantation 23 1601-1614 2017 AASLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandy Feng
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - John Bucuvalas
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
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8
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Hussein MH, Hashimoto T, Suzuki T, Abdel-Hamid Daoud G, Kato T, Hibi M, Tomishige H, Hara F, Ito T, Kato I, Kazuhiko K, Sobajima H, Tamura M, Togari H. Liver Transplantation from Female Donors Provokes Higher Complement Component C5a Activity. Ann Transplant 2017; 22:694-700. [PMID: 29162794 PMCID: PMC6248037 DOI: 10.12659/aot.905464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Transplanted organs from female donors are associated with less favorable prognoses and outcomes. This study aimed to determine whether donor gender affects levels of serum terminal complement component C5a and oxidative stress in pediatric living related liver transplantation (LRLTx) recipients. Material/Methods The subjects were 43 patients (20 males and 23 females) who underwent LRLTx during childhood (age range 1.2 years to 14.4 years; mean age 5 years). Serum samples were taken during the patients’ regular outpatient visits after LRLTx. Serum C5a was measured using the specific human C5a ELISA kit. Serum total hydroperoxide (TH) and biological antioxidative potential (BAP) were measured using the free radical analytic system, and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated as the ratio of TH to BAP. Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γGTP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also measured as part of a typical outpatient examination for such patients. Results C5a serum levels were higher in the 29 recipients who received their grafted livers from female donors than in the 14 recipients who received their grafted livers from male donors. Recipients who received their grafted livers from female donors had higher incidence of post-LTx (liver transplantation) complications. Female recipients from female donors showed the highest serum GPT and GOT levels, but this difference was only significant when compared to the female recipients from male donors (41.4±9.8 IU/L vs. 17.3±1.8 IU/L for GPT and 42.2±7.5 IU/L vs. 23.4±2.2 IU/L for GOT; P<0.05). Conclusions Pediatric LRLTx patients who receive their grafts from female donors exhibit higher levels of serum C5a that probably plays a role in the immunological response against grafted livers from female donors in LTx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Hamed Hussein
- Division of Neonatology, Center of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan.,Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takashi Hashimoto
- Department of General and Pediatric Surgery, Masuko Memorial Hospital, Nakamura, Nagoya, Japan.,Department of Virology and Liver Unit, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kawasumi, Mizuho, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Suzuki
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | | | - Takazumi Kato
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masahito Hibi
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Tomishige
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Fujio Hara
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Ito
- Department of Pediatrics, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Ineko Kato
- Department of Perinatal Development and Preventive Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie, Japan
| | - Kabe Kazuhiko
- Division of Neonatology, Center of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hisanori Sobajima
- Division of Neonatology, Center of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masanori Tamura
- Division of Neonatology, Center of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hajime Togari
- , Kinjogakuin University, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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9
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Whitcomb E, Choi WT, Jerome KR, Cook L, Landis C, Ahn J, Te HS, Esfeh J, Hanouneh IA, Rayhill SC, Gibson W, Plesec T, Koo J, Wang HL, Hart J, Pai RK, Westerhoff M. Biopsy Specimens From Allograft Liver Contain Histologic Features of Hepatitis C Virus Infection After Virus Eradication. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2017; 15:1279-1285. [PMID: 28501538 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2017.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Most patients, even those who have received a liver transplant, achieve a sustained virologic response (SVR) to therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Little is known about the histologic features of liver biopsy specimens collected after SVR, particularly in patients who have received a liver transplant. We aimed to better characterize the histologic features of allograft liver biopsy specimens from patients who achieved SVR to anti-HCV therapy after liver transplantation. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of 170 allograft liver biopsy specimens from 36 patients who received a liver transplant for chronic HCV infection, had recurrent HCV infection after transplantation, and subsequently achieved SVR (collected from 1999 through 2015 at 4 medical centers). SVR was defined as an undetectable serum HCV RNA level 24 weeks after completion of HCV treatment. A total of 65 biopsy specimens were post-SVR (at least 1 post-SVR from each patient; some biopsy specimens were collected at later time points from a subset of patients). We performed polymerase chain reaction analysis for HCV RNA on a subset of the biopsy specimens (28 collected before SVR and 32 after SVR). RESULTS Of the 65 post-SVR biopsy specimens, 45 (69%) had histologic features of active HCV infection. Of the initial post-SVR biopsy specimens collected from each of the 36 patients, 32 (89%) showed these changes. For patients with more than 1 post-SVR biopsy specimen, 6 (46%) had no change in fibrosis between biopsies, and fibrosis worsened for 3 patients (23%) based on their most recent biopsy. The HCV RNA level was undetectable in 31 of the 32 biopsy specimens analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSIONS In a retrospective analysis of allograft liver biopsy specimens from patients who achieved SVR after a liver transplant for chronic HCV infection, histologic changes associated with active HCV were present in 69% and fibrosis continued to progress in 23%, despite the lack of detection of HCV RNA. Pathologists should be aware of patients' SVR status when analyzing liver biopsy specimens to avoid diagnoses of chronic HCV-associated hepatitis. Because of the persistent inflammatory activity and fibrosis after SVR, clinicians should continue to monitor patients carefully after SVR to anti-HCV therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Whitcomb
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Calgary Laboratory Services, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Won-Tak Choi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Keith R Jerome
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Linda Cook
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Charles Landis
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Joseph Ahn
- Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Helen S Te
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jamak Esfeh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
| | | | - Stephen C Rayhill
- Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - William Gibson
- Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Thomas Plesec
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Jamie Koo
- Department of Pathology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Hanlin L Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles Health, Los Angeles, California
| | - John Hart
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Rish K Pai
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Maria Westerhoff
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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10
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Molecular detection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in liver biopsies after liver transplantation. Mod Pathol 2015; 28:523-32. [PMID: 25412844 DOI: 10.1038/modpathol.2014.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to determine the rate of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, a recently increasingly recognized disease in the Western world, in liver transplant patients by direct molecular testing of liver tissue. A RT-PCR assay was designed for detecting the HEV open reading frame (ORF) 2/3 gene region in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, and applied to all liver biopsies (n=683) taken 4 weeks or later from all patients (n=282) after liver transplantation of two large academic centers. HEV-RNA was detected in ten biopsies from four different patients (rate: 1%). Histology in early HEV infection was variable including cases with only few hepatocellular apoptoses, no or only minute inflammation. Hepatitis lasted for at least 6 months in 3/4 patients. Serologic testing for HEV-RNA in a subcohort (159 patients) was positive in five patients (rate: 3%), resulting in an overall HEV detection rate of 3% (8/282). In case both liver tissue and sera of a patient were available from the same time period, all cases tested positive in one material were also tested positive in the other material, respectively. All patients had de novo autochthonous infection with HEV genotype 3. Our data confirm that HEV infection is a relevant cause of liver injury after liver transplantation. Molecular testing for HEV in routinely processed transplant liver biopsies is powerful for evaluating patients with elevated transaminases of unknown origin. Histology of HEV infection under immunosuppression in the early phase is distinct from HEV infection in immunocompetent individuals.
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11
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Whitehouse GP, Sanchez-Fueyo A. Immunosuppression withdrawal following liver transplantation. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2014; 38:676-80. [PMID: 25281267 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinre.2014.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Current immunosuppression regimens in liver transplantation provide excellent short-term survival rates but have many deleterious long-term side effects. They are therefore associated with the higher mortality and morbidity seen in liver transplant recipients compared to the general population and the notion that many liver transplant recipients are over-immunosuppressed is widely accepted. Liver allografts show a greater resistance to alloimmune responses than other solid organ transplants and recent research suggests up to 60% of highly selected recipients could wean off immunosuppression completely. In this review, we look at the evidence from immunosuppression withdrawal trials, the potential benefits of immunosuppression withdrawal and the identification of tolerant transplant recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin P Whitehouse
- Institute of Liver Studies, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 9RS, London, UK.
| | - Alberto Sanchez-Fueyo
- Institute of Liver Studies, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 9RS, London, UK.
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12
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Shetty S, Adams DH, Hubscher SG. Post-transplant liver biopsy and the immune response: lessons for the clinician. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2014; 8:645-61. [DOI: 10.1586/eci.12.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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13
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Yu E. Histopathological Features of Late Liver Allograft Dysfunction. KOREAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION 2013. [DOI: 10.4285/jkstn.2013.27.4.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eunsil Yu
- Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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14
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Histologic findings predictive of a diagnosis of de novo autoimmune hepatitis after liver transplantation in adults. Transplantation 2013; 96:670-8. [PMID: 23982338 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0b013e31829eda7f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) after liver transplantation has been defined histologically as a "hepatitic" pattern of injury, characterized by lymphoplasmacytic inflammation with necroinflammatory activity (NIA), comparable with findings seen in native livers. This definition, however, is difficult to apply in practice because specific histologic criteria are not clearly delineated. This study aimed to determine which histologic features correlated best with clinical and serologic features of dAIH. METHODS Index liver biopsies from patients with autoimmune-like hepatitis transplanted for non-AIH in two centers (n=35 and 20) were reviewed. Histologic features were correlated with the clinical diagnosis of AIH based on a retrospective review of clinical and serologic data, including therapeutic response. RESULTS A clinical diagnosis of AIH was retrospectively assigned to 24 of 35 (68%) and 18 of 20 (90%) patients, respectively (P=0.10). In multivariate analysis, centrilobular NIA and centrilobular plasma cell (PC) ratio of 30% to 50% were independently discriminating for a clinical diagnosis of AIH (P=0.04 and 0.05, respectively). The best level of predictability (99.6%) was mathematically achieved when severe centrilobular NIA and centrilobular PC ratio of 30% to 50% were both present. CONCLUSION A histologic pattern of centrilobular injury including increased NIA and increased PC infiltration correlates with measurements of autoimmunity in liver recipients. It could be used to segregate cases for further study and introduced into the AIH scoring systems when applied in the context of liver transplantation.
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15
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Adeyi OA. Common problems in liver allograft biopsy interpretation: Resolving clinical dilemmas. Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken) 2013; 2:181-187. [PMID: 30992858 PMCID: PMC6448648 DOI: 10.1002/cld.229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Revised: 03/22/2013] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Oyedele A. Adeyi
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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16
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Plasma cell hepatitis (de-novo autoimmune hepatitis) developing post liver transplantation. Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2013; 17:287-92. [PMID: 22498651 DOI: 10.1097/mot.0b013e3283536622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Cases of de-novo autoimmune hepatitis/plasma cell hepatitis (PCH) are increasingly being diagnosed by liver transplant centers. Its pathogenesis is poorly understood but this entity appears to be a variant of rejection. Herein, we review recent clinical reports of patients developing PCH. RECENT FINDINGS Histologically, PCH is a challenging diagnosis, especially in the setting of recurrent hepatitis C and, in some cases, can be mistaken for acute cellular rejection. Recent case reports and case-control studies have shown that interferon appears to trigger PCH in hepatitis C posttransplant patients. Optimization of the immunosuppression regimen was found to prevent the development of PCH. In the nonhepatitis C posttransplant patient, tacrolimus-based immunosuppression appears to have some protective effect from PCH development. A combination therapy of cyclosporine and everolimus has also been shown to be effective in treating PCH. SUMMARY PCH is a variant of rejection and is a cause of late graft loss post liver transplantation, especially in patients with hepatitis C. It should be part of the differential diagnosis of abnormal liver enzyme tests occurring in the post-liver transplant setting.
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Levitsky J, Oniscu GC. Meeting report of the International Liver Transplantation Society's 18th annual international congress: Hilton San Francisco Hotel, San Francisco, CA, May 16-19, 2012. Liver Transpl 2013; 19:27-35. [PMID: 23239473 DOI: 10.1002/lt.23562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 09/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
From May 16-19, 2012, the International Liver Transplantation Society held its annual congress in San Francisco, CA. More than 1300 registrants attended the meeting, which included a premeeting conference entitled Balancing Risk in Liver Transplantation, focused topic sessions, and a variety of oral and poster presentations. This report is not all-inclusive and focuses on specific research abstracts on key topics in liver transplantation. As always, the new data herein are presented in the context of the published literature to further enhance knowledge in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Levitsky
- Division of Gastroenterology and Comprehensive Transplant Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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18
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Importance of liver biopsy findings in immunosuppression management: biopsy monitoring and working criteria for patients with operational tolerance. Liver Transpl 2012; 18:1154-70. [PMID: 22645090 DOI: 10.1002/lt.23481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Obstacles to morbidity-free long-term survival after liver transplantation (LT) include complications of immunosuppression (IS), recurrence of the original disease and malignancies, and unexplained chronic hepatitis and graft fibrosis. Many programs attempt to minimize chronic exposure to IS by reducing dosages and stopping steroids. A few programs have successfully weaned a highly select group of recipients from all IS without apparent adverse consequences, but long-term follow-up is limited. Patients subjected to adjustments in IS are usually followed by serial liver chemistry tests, which are relatively insensitive methods for detecting allograft damage. Protocol biopsy has largely been abandoned for hepatitis C virus-negative recipients, at least in part because of the inability to integrate routine histopathological findings into a rational clinical management algorithm. Recognizing a need to more precisely categorize and determine the clinical significance of findings in long-term biopsy samples, the Banff Working Group on Liver Allograft Pathology has reviewed the literature, pooled the experience of its members, and proposed working definitions for biopsy changes that (1) are conducive to lowering IS and are compatible with operational tolerance (OT) and (2) raise concern for closer follow-up and perhaps increased IS during or after IS weaning. The establishment of guidelines should help us to standardize analyses of the effects of various treatments and/or weaning protocols and more rigorously categorize patients who are assumed to show OT. Long-term follow-up using standardized criteria will help us to determine the consequences of lowering IS and to define and determine the incidence and robustness of OT in liver allografts.
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Affiliation(s)
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- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 3459 5th Avenue, UPMC Montefiore E741, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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19
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Londoño Hurtado MC. [Histological lesions in the graft in patients with long-term survival after transplantation. Are protocol biopsies necessary?]. GASTROENTEROLOGIA Y HEPATOLOGIA 2012; 36:97-103. [PMID: 22770578 DOI: 10.1016/j.gastrohep.2012.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 03/30/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The main lesions found in long-term liver grafts are recurrence of underlying liver disease and the development of de novo diseases or heterogeneous lesions of unknown etiology. In a not insignificant percentage of patients, the results of laboratory tests are normal and these lesions are only detected by liver biopsy. Diagnosis of these lesions is essential since they can affect patient and graft prognosis and may require changes in immunosuppressive therapy or the introduction of new drugs to treat specific diseases. Moreover, some patients with normally functioning liver grafts could benefit from minimization of immunosuppressive therapy. Currently, the performance of protocol biopsies cannot be recommended. However, given the high prevalence of these lesions, grafts should be closely monitored. Transient elastrography could play a role in the selection of patients who might benefit from a liver biopsy.
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20
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Rigamonti C, Fraquelli M, Bastiampillai AJ, Caccamo L, Reggiani P, Rossi G, Colombo M, Donato MF. Transient elastography identifies liver recipients with nonviral graft disease after transplantation: a guide for liver biopsy. Liver Transpl 2012; 18:566-76. [PMID: 22271627 DOI: 10.1002/lt.23391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transient elastography (TE) reliably predicts the severity of recurrent hepatitis C virus after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT); however, its accuracy in evaluating nonviral liver graft damage is unknown. Between 2006 and 2009, 69 OLT recipients [37 for hepatitis B virus/hepatitis D virus (recurrence-free), 20 for autoimmune/cholestatic liver disease, 6 for alcoholic liver disease, and 6 for mixed etiologies] underwent protocol/on-demand liver biopsy (LB) and concomitant TE. A histological diagnosis of graft disease was made according to criteria defined by the Banff working group. Sixty-five patients (94%) had reliable TE examinations during a median post-OLT follow-up of 18 months (range = 7-251 months). LB samples (median length = 35 mm) showed graft damage in 28 patients (43%): idiopathic chronic hepatitis (11), steatohepatitis (3), rejection (3), cholangitis (2), and autoimmune/cholestatic recurrence (9). Patients with graft damage had significantly higher serum liver enzyme levels and TE results (median = 7.8 kPa, range = 5.4-27.4 kPa) than the 37 patients without graft damage (median = 5.3 kPa, range = 3.1-7.4 kPa, P < 0.001). By a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, 2 TE cutoffs for the diagnosis of graft damage were identified: 5.3 kPa with 100% sensitivity and 7.4 kPa with 100% specificity. The pretest probability of graft damage was 43%; in patients with TE values ≤5.3 kPa, the posttest probability of graft damage fell to 0%, but in patients with TE results >7.4 kPa, the posttest probability increased to 100%. In conclusion, the dual TE cutoff allows accurate discrimination between the absence and presence of nonviral liver graft damage and improves the clinical management of OLT recipients in terms of the selection of patients most in need of LB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Rigamonti
- First Division of Gastroenterology (A. M. and A. Migliavacca Center for Liver Disease), University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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21
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Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis has a variable clinical phenotype, and the absence of conventional autoantibodies does not preclude its diagnosis or need for treatment. The goals of this review are to describe the frequency and nature of autoantibody-negative autoimmune hepatitis, indicate its outcome after corticosteroid treatment, and increase awareness of the diagnosis in patients with unexplained acute and chronic hepatitis. The frequency of presumed autoantibody-negative autoimmune hepatitis in patients with acute and acute severe presentations is ≤7%, and its frequency in patients with chronic presentations is 1-34%. Patients with acute presentations can have normal serum γ-globulin levels, centrilobular zone 3 necrosis, and low pre-treatment international diagnostic scores. Liver tissue examination is essential for the diagnosis, and hepatic steatosis can be a co-morbid feature. The comprehensive international scoring system can support but never override the clinical diagnosis pre-treatment, and non-standard serological markers should be sought if the clinical diagnosis is uncertain or the diagnostic score is low. A 3-month treatment trial with corticosteroids should be considered in all patients, regardless of the serological findings, and improvements have occurred in 67-87% of cases. Autoantibody-negative autoimmune hepatitis may be associated with an autoantibody outside the conventional battery; it may have a signature autoantibody that is still undiscovered, or its characteristic autoantibodies may have been suppressed or have a delayed expression. The pathogenic mechanisms are presumed to be identical to those of classical disease. Autoantibody-negative autoimmune hepatitis is an infrequent but treatable disease that must be considered in unexplained acute and chronic hepatitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert J Czaja
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street S.W., Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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22
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Czaja AJ. Cryptogenic chronic hepatitis and its changing guise in adults. Dig Dis Sci 2011; 56:3421-38. [PMID: 21647651 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-011-1769-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cryptogenic chronic hepatitis is a disease that is unexplained by conventional clinical, laboratory and histological findings, and it can progress to cirrhosis, develop hepatocellular carcinoma, and require liver transplantation. The goals of this review are to describe the changing phenotype of cryptogenic chronic hepatitis in adults, develop a diagnostic algorithm appropriate to current practice, and suggest treatment options. The frequency of cryptogenic hepatitis is estimated at 5.4%. Cryptogenic cirrhosis is diagnosed in 5-30% of patients with cirrhosis, and it is present in 3-14% of adults awaiting liver transplantation. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has been implicated in 21-63% of patients, and autoimmune hepatitis is a likely diagnosis in 10-54% of individuals. Viral infections, hereditary liver diseases, celiac disease, and unsuspected alcohol or drug-induced liver injury are recognized infrequently in the current cryptogenic population. Manifestations of the metabolic syndrome heighten the suspicion of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and the absence of hepatic steatosis does not discount this possibility. The diagnostic scoring system of the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group can support the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis in some patients. Certain genetic mutations may have disease-specificity, and they suggest that some patients may have an independent and uncharacterized disease. Corticosteroid therapy is effective in patients with autoimmune features, and life-style changes and specific therapies for manifestations of the metabolic syndrome are appropriate for all obese patients. The 1- and 5-year survivals after liver transplantation have ranged from 72-85% to 58-73%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert J Czaja
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street S.W., Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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24
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What is the long-term outcome of the liver allograft? J Hepatol 2011; 55:702-717. [PMID: 21426919 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2011.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2010] [Revised: 03/11/2011] [Accepted: 03/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
With improved long-term survival following liver transplantation (LT), issues relating to the assessment of the liver allograft in long-term survivors are becoming increasingly relevant. Histological abnormalities are commonly present in late post-transplant biopsies, including protocol biopsies from patients who appear to be well with good graft function. Recurrent disease is the commonest recognised cause of abnormal graft histology, but may be modified by the effects of immunosuppression or interactions with other graft complications, resulting in complex or atypical changes. Other abnormalities seen in late post-transplant biopsies include rejection (which often has different appearances to those seen in the post-transplant period), de novo disease, "idiopathic" post-transplant hepatitis (IPTH) and nodular regenerative hyperplasia. In many cases graft dysfunction has more than one cause and liver biopsy may help to identify the predominant cause of graft damage. Problems exist with the terminology used to describe less well understood patterns of graft injury, but there is emerging evidence to suggest that late rejection, de novo autoimmune hepatitis and IPTH may all be part of an overlapping spectrum of immune-mediated injury occurring in the late post-transplant liver allograft. Careful clinico-pathological correlation is very important and the wording of the biopsy report should take into account therapeutic implications, particularly whether changes in immunosuppression may be indicated. This article will provide an overview of the main histological changes occurring in long-term survivors post-LT, focusing on areas where the assessment of late post-transplant biopsies is most relevant clinically.
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25
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The vast majority of patients who are referred to a specialist hepatological centre suffer from acute deterioration of their chronic liver disease. Yet, this entity of acute on chronic liver failure remains poorly defined. AIM The aim of the present study was to highlight the occurrence of hepatitis E viraemia by nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in patients with acute on chronic liver failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 100 patients with acute on chronic liver disorders admitted to Mansoura University Hospital, Egypt. Blood samples were obtained from patients and sera were separated. Sera were subjected to a study of viral hepatitis markers for hepatitis A by IgM, for hepatitis B by S antigen and core IgM and for hepatitis C virus by IgG and RT-PCR for HCV. Liver function tests were evaluated including alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and bilirubin total and direct by an autoanalyser. Study for hepatitis E virus (HEV) was performed using a molecular technique. Nested RT-PCR was performed for each serum sample. RESULTS HEV RNA was detected in the sera of 13 patients (13%) of the patients with chronic liver disorders. The majority of the positive cases were among patients with cirrhosis (29.9%) followed by patients with HCC (15.4%). On multirisk analysis for the factors associated with the presence of HEV viraemia, younger age < 45 years and lower albumin level < 3.5 g/dl were significantly (P = 0.04, P = 0.03) associated with HEV viraemia. DISCUSSION From this study it appears that HEV viraemia is a common cause of acute on chronic liver disorders in Egypt. CONCLUSION There is no effective vaccine is available against HEV, mass awareness and preventive measures are important to the related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maysaa El Sayed Zaki
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
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26
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Abstract
Histological assessments continue to play an important role in the diagnosis and management of liver allograft rejection. The changes occurring in acute and chronic rejection are well recognized and liver biopsy remains the 'gold standard' for diagnosing these two conditions. Recent interest has focused on the diagnosis of late cellular rejection, which may have different histological appearances to early acute rejection and instead has features that overlap with so-called 'de novo autoimmune hepatitis' and 'idiopathic post-transplant chronic hepatitis'. There is increasing evidence to suggest that 'central perivenulitis' may be an important manifestation of late rejection, although other causes of centrilobular necro-inflammation need to be considered in the differential diagnosis. There are also important areas of overlap between rejection and recurrent hepatitis C infection and the distinction between these two conditions continues to be a problem in the assessment of liver allograft biopsies. Studies using immunohistochemical staining for C4d as a marker for antibody-mediated damage have found evidence of C4d deposition in liver allograft rejection, but the functional significance of these observations is currently uncertain. This review will focus on these difficult and controversial areas in the pathology of rejection, documenting what is currently known and identifying areas where further clarification is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desley A H Neil
- Department of Pathology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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27
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Drebber U, Torbenson M, Wedemeyer I, Dienes H. Aktuelle Aspekte zur Histopathologie im Rahmen der Lebertransplantation. DER PATHOLOGE 2011; 32:113-23. [DOI: 10.1007/s00292-010-1405-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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28
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Oo YH, Hubscher SG, Adams DH. Autoimmune hepatitis: new paradigms in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Hepatol Int 2010; 4:475-93. [PMID: 20827405 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-010-9183-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2010] [Accepted: 03/13/2010] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis are the three major autoimmune diseases affecting the liver, and of these three, AIH is the most typical autoimmune disease being characterized by a T-cell-rich infiltrate, raised circulating γ-globulins, autoantibodies, HLA associations, and links with other autoimmune diseases. It is the only one, of the three diseases, that responds well to immunosuppressive therapy. AIH is caused by dysregulation of immunoregulatory networks and the consequent emergence of autoreactive T cells that orchestrate a progressive destruction of hepatocytes leading untreated to liver failure. T cells play a major role in the immunopathogenesis, and both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells are involved together with effector responses mediated by NK cells, γδ T cells, and macrophages. A number of triggering factors have been proposed including viruses, xenobiotics, and drugs, but none have been conclusively shown to be involved in pathogenesis.
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29
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Assessment of Allograft Fibrosis by Transient Elastography and Noninvasive Biomarker Scoring Systems in Liver Transplant Patients. Transplantation 2010; 89:983-93. [DOI: 10.1097/tp.0b013e3181cc66ca] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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30
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Gelson W, Hoare M, Unitt E, Palmer C, Gibbs P, Coleman N, Davies S, Alexander GJM. Heterogeneous inflammatory changes in liver graft recipients with normal biochemistry. Transplantation 2010; 89:739-48. [PMID: 20134396 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0b013e3181c96b32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with established liver grafts may receive excessive immune suppression. Liver biopsies were analyzed in those with normal liver biochemistry to identify parameters that might identify such cases. METHODS Patients with established grafts (>3 years from engraftment) and normal liver biochemistry (normal alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin) were invited to undergo liver biopsy. Liver tissue was assessed by routine histopathology, a modified Ishak score, and immunohistochemistry for lymphocyte and cell-cycle markers. Circulating and intrahepatic lymphocytes were subjected to flow cytometry. Data were subjected to principal component analysis. RESULTS Two hundred twenty-five (40%) patients under regular review had an established graft with normal liver biochemistry; liver tissue was obtained in 55. Liver histology was normal in eight cases (14.5%). The most common abnormalities were mild nonspecific hepatitis in 25 (45.4%) and disease recurrence in 14 (25.4%). Principal component analysis identified a cluster of variables that accounted for a significant degree of variation within the dataset. These were lobular inflammation, portal inflammation, interface hepatitis, and fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS Inflammation persisted in established grafted livers in most patients with normal liver biochemistry. Systematic histological and lymphocyte phenotype analysis generated an index that distinguished patient groups. Those with least inflammation and the lowest alanine transaminase may have a reduced requirement for immune suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Gelson
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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31
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Ward SC, Schiano TD, Thung SN, Fiel MI. Plasma cell hepatitis in hepatitis C virus patients post-liver transplantation: case-control study showing poor outcome and predictive features in the liver explant. Liver Transpl 2009; 15:1826-33. [PMID: 19938116 DOI: 10.1002/lt.21949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Plasma cell hepatitis (PCH) is characterized by plasma cell infiltration seen in allografts of patients who underwent liver transplantation (LT) for conditions other than autoimmune hepatitis. We identified 40 PCH patients who underwent LT for hepatitis C virus (HCV) by searching our pathology database (1994-2006) for the keywords liver allograft, lymphoplasmacytic, and plasma cell(s). We selected 2 control patients who received LT for HCV for each PCH case. The control patients were matched according to date of LT and availability of biopsy material at the time interval to development of PCH in PCH patients. Explant and post-LT biopsy slides were blindly reviewed by 2 liver pathologists and the severity of the plasma cell infiltrate was scored. A score of 3 (plasma cells composing >30% of the infiltrate) defined PCH in allograft biopsies. Five random areas of dense inflammation were also examined in explant livers and the highest score was used. Poor outcome was defined as death or advanced fibrosis (stage >or= 4 of 6). We found that PCH patients were more likely to have worse outcomes than control patients (65% versus 40%, P < 0.01), including increased mortality (50% versus 30%, P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significantly worse survival for PCH patients from 4 to 10 years post-LT (P < 0.05). Explants from 40% of PCH patients had a score of 3 compared to 18% of control patients (P < 0.01). We found that the development of PCH is associated with poor outcome in patients undergoing LT for HCV. The association of significant plasma cell infiltrates in native livers of HCV patients developing PCH suggests that some patients may have a predisposition to developing PCH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Ward
- Lillian and Henry M. Stratton-Hans Popper Department of Pathology, Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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32
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Haagsma EB, Niesters HGM, van den Berg AP, Riezebos-Brilman A, Porte RJ, Vennema H, Reimerink JHJ, Koopmans MPG. Prevalence of hepatitis E virus infection in liver transplant recipients. Liver Transpl 2009; 15:1225-8. [PMID: 19790147 DOI: 10.1002/lt.21819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is known to run a self-limited course. Recently, chronic hepatitis E has been described in several immunosuppressed patients after solid organ transplantation. The prevalence of HEV infection after transplantation, however, is unknown. We studied HEV parameters [HEV RNA, HEV immunoglobulin M (IgM), and HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmatory immunoblotting] in a cohort of 285 adult liver transplant recipients. The most recent freeze-stored sera were investigated, and if they were positive, a retrospective analysis was performed. Samples from 274 patients (96.1%) tested negative for all HEV parameters. This included a patient described earlier as having experienced an episode of chronic HEV hepatitis in the past. One patient was found positive for HEV RNA without HEV antibodies. She presently suffers from chronic HEV hepatitis and has also been described before. Sera from 9 patients tested positive for HEV IgG without HEV IgM or HEV RNA. Six of these 9 patients (2.1% of the total) were found to have HEV IgG antibodies in retrospect related to an HEV infection at some time pre-transplant as they also tested positive in a pretransplant serum sample. One of these 9 patients suffered in retrospect from a chronic HEV infection with mild hepatitis between 2 and 5 years after liver transplantation on the basis of the course of HEV RNA, IgM, and IgG, aminotransferases, and liver histology. Overall, the prevalence of acquired HEV hepatitis after liver transplantation was 1% in this cohort. We conclude that liver transplant recipients have a risk for chronic HEV infection, but the prevalence is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth B Haagsma
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Mells G, Mann C, Hubscher S, Neuberger J. Late protocol liver biopsies in the liver allograft: a neglected investigation? Liver Transpl 2009; 15:931-8. [PMID: 19642126 DOI: 10.1002/lt.21781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
As outcomes from liver transplantation have improved, attention has focused on long-term outcomes: patient and graft survival is affected by many factors, including the consequences of both overimmunosuppression (eg, renal failure and cancer) and underimmunosuppression (eg, rejection). The use of protocol (rather than event-driven) biopsies of the liver allograft, except for those grafted for HCV infection, has been largely abandoned. The aim of this study was to determine if protocol biopsies can improve the management of liver allograft recipients. A retrospective analysis of liver allograft recipients who had undergone protocol liver biopsies between 2000 and 2006 was performed. One hundred seventy-eight patients with normal liver tests (alcoholic liver disease, 49; autoimmune hepatitis, 20; and primary biliary cirrhosis, 107) who had undergone 235 protocol biopsies were identified. No significant complication from the biopsy was recorded. Liver histology was reported as normal or nearly normal in only 57 (24%). Chronic hepatitis (not obviously related to disease recurrence) was present in 78 (33%). Interpreted in the light of the calculated creatinine clearance, the biopsy findings indicated that overall immunosuppression (IMS) should be maintained or increased with standard calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based IMS in 25% of cases, that overall IMS should be reduced in 15% of cases, and that overall IMS should be maintained or increased by the substitution of non-nephrotoxic agents for CNIs in 9% of cases. The histological findings led to a documented change in IMS in 76 (32%) (increased IMS, 11; decreased IMS, 58; and switch from CNI, 7). In conclusion, protocol liver biopsy provides important histological information about graft function that is not available from standard liver tests and safely allows modification of IMS to ensure that long-term side effects of drug therapy (eg, renal failure) are minimized while graft function is sustained. Liver Transpl 15:931-938, 2009. (c) 2009 AASLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Mells
- Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Approximately 90% of liver transplant patients are alive after 1 year and 75% after 5 years with the majority leading full and near-normal lives. However, although early mortality rates after transplantation have fallen dramatically over the last 2 decades, the rates of late graft loss and patient death have remained constant. Thus, understanding of the causes of graft and patient failure is essential to improve long-term outcomes. In the early days after liver transplantation, ischemia and reperfusion injuries predominate, with acute cellular rejection relatively common in first 3 months. Thereafter, the causes of graft dysfunction are variable with disease recurrence as a major cause of graft loss. In this review, we discuss causes of graft dysfunction after 6 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Desai
- Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Seeking beyond rejection: an update on the differential diagnosis and a practical approach to liver allograft biopsy interpretation. Adv Anat Pathol 2009; 16:97-117. [PMID: 19550371 DOI: 10.1097/pap.0b013e31819946aa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pathologic evaluation of liver allograft biopsies plays an integral role in the management of patients after liver transplantation. This review summarizes the clinical context and classical histology of different types of allograft rejection and also the common entities that enter the differential diagnosis of allograft rejection, and provides practical approaches to liver allograft biopsy interpretation. In addition, some of the new developments in the field of liver transplant pathology are updated. The purpose of this review is to provide guidance for pathologists interpreting liver allograft biopsies, particularly those interested in developing expertise in the field of liver transplant pathology.
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Miyagawa-Hayashino A, Haga H, Egawa H, Hayashino Y, Uemoto S, Manabe T. Idiopathic post-transplantation hepatitis following living donor liver transplantation, and significance of autoantibody titre for outcome. Transpl Int 2008; 22:303-12. [PMID: 19040488 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-2277.2008.00803.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Idiopathic post-transplantation hepatitis (IPTH) is a common histology occurring late after liver transplantation. Its natural history and the effect of treatment have not been determined. This study is a matched case-control study that evaluates predictors, outcome and response to treatment for IPTH. Patients were divided by autoantibodies into high-titre (> or = 1:160) and low-titre (<1:160) groups, so as to evaluate clinicopathological differences between the two groups. IPTH was identified in 42 of 944 recipients (4.4%) with tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. They comprised 10 males and 32 females, having median age 6.0 (0-50) years. IPTH presented at a median duration of 5.2 (0.7-10.8) years after transplantation. Particular risk of IPTH was associated with acute rejection, late-onset acute rejection occurring later than 6 month post-transplant, and autoantibody positivity. IPTH was associated with dependence on steroids and frequent adverse outcomes: retransplantation in five (12%); relapse in four (9.5%); and progression of fibrosis in eight (19%). The high-titre group and low-titre group did not differ in their clinicopathological features, response to treatment or outcome. To prevent the development of IPTH, appropriate adjustment of immunosuppression and close follow-up is necessary for patients who suffer repeated episodes of rejection.
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Abstract
Protocol liver allograft biopsies are liver biopsies carried out at specific time points according to predetermined guidelines, rather than in response to specific indications such as change in the patient's clinical status or biochemical tests. Use of protocol liver allograft biopsy has been declining over the last decade: an informal survey of 35 transplant units showed that whereas 65% of units undertake protocol biopsies for those grafted for Hepatitis C virus infection, only 25% do so for patients grafted for other indications. In this overview, we consider the arguments against and those in favor of liver biopsies in adult liver allograft recipients. Arguments against the use of protocol liver biopsies are that they biopsies put the patient are associated with a small risk of morbidity and mortality, are expensive, do not provide useful information and do not alter clinical practice. The estimated rate of major complications is 0.6% and the estimated mortality rate 0.02%. However, the argument in favor of protocol biopsies is that even when standard liver tests are normal, there is on-going inflammation in the graft which, if immunosuppression is not altered, will lead to progressive fibrosis, cirrhosis and even graft loss. Conversely, normal liver histology may allow for reduction in the immunosuppression and so lower the risk of the complications associated with immunosuppression. Currently available diagnostic techniques are not yet sufficiently sensitive or specific to provide an accurate reflection of the state of the graft and the presence or absence of graft damage. We conclude that, while there are no clear data showing that protocol liver allograft biopsies are cost effective and lead to improved patient and graft outcome, such biopsies still have a role in the management of the liver transplant recipient.
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Schreuder TCMA, Hübscher SG, Neuberger J. Autoimmune liver diseases and recurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation: what have we learned so far? Transpl Int 2008; 22:144-52. [PMID: 18662365 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-2277.2008.00729.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) may all recur after liver transplant. Diagnosis of rPBC is defined by histology; rAIH by serology, biochemistry and histology; rPSC by histology and/or imaging of the biliary tree and exclusion of other causes of nonanastomotic biliary strictures. Criteria for recurrent disease (RD) may differ from those used in similar disease in the native liver: frequent use of immunosuppressive therapy changes the pattern and natural history of RD and can co-exist with other transplant-related causes of graft damage. RD may occur in the presence of normal liver tests; the reported incidence will depend on the way in which diagnostic tests (especially protocol biopsies) are applied. The risk of RD increases with time, but does not correlate with the rate of graft loss. Treatment is largely unproven: ursodeoxycholic acid will improve serology and may slow progression of rPSC and rPBC; introduction or increased dose of corticosteroids may reduce progression of rAIH. Risk factors for rPBC include use of tacrolimus compared with cyclosporine; for rPSC include absence of colon peri-transplantation and for rAIH possible associations with some HLA haplotypes have been suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim C M A Schreuder
- Liver Unit, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
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Hübscher SG. Central perivenulitis: a common and potentially important finding in late posttransplant liver biopsies. Liver Transpl 2008; 14:596-600. [PMID: 18433067 DOI: 10.1002/lt.21451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Studies are reviewed from the past year concerning the histopathology of liver and biliary diseases and their pathogenesis. RECENT FINDINGS Several cases of acute hepatitis E showed portal and periportal hepatitis, with polarization of neutrophils to the interface region and lymphocytes more centrally in the portal tracts. Transfection of hepatitis C virus into cultured fetal hepatocytes resulted in sustained growth of 50-90 nm diameter viral particles. The ductular reaction in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis appears to evolve with fibrosis in response to hepatocyte replicative senescence. Hepatocellular release of hepcidin is critical for iron homeostasis in a manner analogous to pancreatic insulin for glucose homeostasis; this 'endocrine' focus was elaborated in an overview of hemochromatosis. Specific microscopic features of liver-cell adenomas combined with genetic analysis for hepatocyte nuclear factor 1alpha and beta-catenin mutations allows differentiation into four variants. Steroid-sensitive biliary strictures resembling primary sclerosing cholangitis but with increased serum immunoglobulin G4 and infiltrating immunoglobulin G4-positive plasma cells ('immunoglobulin associated cholangitis') are part of a spectrum of disorders including autoimmune pancreatitis and inflammatory pseudotumor. SUMMARY Pathologic features of viral hepatitis C and E, immunohistochemistry for the ductular reaction and malignant liver tumors and several systemic disorders are among recent important pathology studies.
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Haagsma EB, van den Berg AP, Porte RJ, Benne CA, Vennema H, Reimerink JHJ, Koopmans MPG. Chronic hepatitis E virus infection in liver transplant recipients. Liver Transpl 2008; 14:547-53. [PMID: 18383084 DOI: 10.1002/lt.21480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 250] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is known to run a self-limiting course. Sporadic cases of acute hepatitis due to infection with HEV genotype 3, present in pig populations, are increasingly recognized. Zoonotic transmission seems infrequent. The entity of unexplained chronic hepatitis after liver transplantation has been recognized. Detection of HEV in 2 liver transplant recipients triggered a review of these cases. Freeze-stored sera were available for retrospective analysis. HEV antibodies were determined. For virus detection and identification, a fragment of the gene encoding the major capsid protein (open reading frame 2) was amplified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and sequenced to identify the genotype. Two months after liver transplantation, case A developed unexplained chronic hepatitis, which developed into cirrhosis. Retransplantation followed 7 years later, after which chronic hepatitis recurred. In retrospect, HEV RNA was present in serum 3 weeks after the first transplantation and remained present afterwards. HEV RNA was also present in retransplant liver tissue. HEV antibodies appeared late after retransplantation. Case B developed unexplained chronic hepatitis 7 years after transplantation. Retransplantation was needed 5 years later, after which no signs of hepatitis recurred. In retrospect, the period of chronic hepatitis up to the retransplantation coincided with HEV RNA in serum. In case B, antibodies developed, the viral load was much lower than in case A, and the virus seemed to be cleared after retransplantation. Genotyping in both cases revealed 2 unique strains of genotype 3. In conclusion, chronic HEV infection may develop in immunosuppressed patients, who may then serve as long-term carriers of the virus. We hypothesize that HEV may be the cause of chronic hepatitis in liver transplant recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth B Haagsma
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
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