Temporal histopathological changes in biliary atresia: A perspective for rapid fibrosis progression

CTHRC1 serves as an indicator in biliary atresia for evaluating the stage of liver fibrosis and predicting prognosis

BACKGROUND

Liver fibrosis is a pathological feature of biliary atresia (BA). However, both histological fibrosis stage and existing biomarkers fail to predict prognosis at the time of hepatoportonterostomy (HPE).

AIMS

To explore the role of collagen triple- helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) in BA.

METHODS

CTHRC1 expression levels were detected and its association with liver fibrosis stage was analyzed in patients with BA. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent analyses were performed to detect the expression and localization of CTHRC1. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation were analyzed in cholangiocytes treated with recombinant human CTHRC1 protein. Survival analyses were performed to assess the prognostic value of CTHRC1 in patients with BA.

RESULTS

CTHRC1 was upregulated in BA, and its expression level was positively correlated with fibrosis-related markers and the severity of liver fibrosis. In liver tissue CTHRC1 was co-localized with CK19 and highly expressed in patients with severe liver fibrosis. Further experiments revealed that CTHRC1 promoted cholangiocyte EMT and proliferation. Additionally, CTHRC1 expression levels at HPE could predict the 2-year native liver survival (NLS).

CONCLUSIONS

CTHRC1 promotes the EMT and proliferation of cholangiocytes and indicate the stage of liver fibrosis. The CTHRC1 expression levels can predict outcomes of BA.

Development and post-Kasai procedure prognostic relevance of histological features for biliary atresia

OBJECTIVES

To validate an appropriate evaluation method of liver fibrosis assessment based on the unique pathological features of biliary atresia (BA) that could well predict its prognosis.

METHODS

A total of 68 patients with BA who underwent Kasai procedure (KP) and an intraoperative liver biopsy, followed up from January 2019 to December 2021, were recruited in a retrospective analysis. Ishak, Metavir, and BA-specific staging systems in relation to outcomes were analyzed using logistic regression, COX proportional hazard regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, etc. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier analysis determined a significant difference in native liver survival according to the BA-specific stage (p = 0.002). The ROC curve analysis for predicting prognosis showed that the AUC of BA-specific staging combined with iBALF and severe bile duct proliferation (BDP) (0.811, 95% CI: 0.710-0.913, p < 0.0001) was higher than BA-specific staging alone (0.755, 95% CI: 0.639-0.872, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The BA-specific staging system reflects the condition of the liver fibrosis, and its combination with iBALF and severe BDP helps to better evaluate the prognosis of patients with BA.

Development of liver inflammatory injury in biliary atresia: from basic to clinical research

Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe cholangiopathy in infants. It is characterized by inflammatory fibro-obliteration of the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. Although the restoration of bile flow can be successful after Kasai operation, the rapid progression of liver fibrosis can continue, leading to cirrhosis. It is believed that the progression of liver fibrosis in BA is exacerbated by complicated mechanisms other than the consequence of bile duct obstruction. The fibrogenic cascade in BA liver can be divided into three stages, including liver inflammatory injury, myofibroblast activation, and fibrous scar formation. Recent studies have revealed that the activation of an immune response following bile duct injury plays an important role in promoting the inflammatory process, the releasing of inflammatory cytokines, and the development of fibrogenesis in BA liver. In this article, we summarized the evidence regarding liver inflammatory injury and the possible mechanisms that explain the rapid progression of liver fibrosis in BA.

Peri-Operative Liver Fibrosis and Native Liver Survival in Pediatric Patients with Biliary Atresia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

No systematic review to date has examined histopathological parameters in relation to native liver survival in children who undergo the Kasai operation for biliary atresia (BA). A systematic review and meta-analysis is presented, comparing the frequency of native liver survival in peri-operative severe vs. non-severe liver fibrosis cases, in addition to other reported histopathology parameters. Records were sourced from MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases. Studies followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and compared native liver survival frequencies in pediatric patients with evidence of severe vs. non-severe liver fibrosis, bile duct proliferation, cholestasis, lobular inflammation, portal inflammation, and giant cell transformation on peri-operative biopsies. The primary outcome was the frequency of native liver survival. A random effects meta-analysis was used. Twenty-eight observational studies were included, 1,171 pediatric patients with BA of whom 631 survived with their native liver. Lower odds of native liver survival in the severe liver fibrosis vs. non-severe liver fibrosis groups were reported (odds ratio [OR], 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08-0.33; I2 =46%). No difference in the odds of native liver survival in the severe bile duct destruction vs. non-severe bile duct destruction groups were reported (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.00-63.63; I2 =96%). Lower odds of native liver survival were documented in the severe cholestasis vs. non-severe cholestasis (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.01-0.73; I2 =80%) and severe lobular inflammation vs. non-severe lobular inflammation groups (OR, 0.02; 95% CI, 0.00-0.62; I2 =69%). There was no difference in the odds of native liver survival in the severe portal inflammation vs. non-severe portal inflammation groups (OR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.00-3.22; I2 =86%) or between the severe giant cell transformation vs. non-severe giant cell transformation groups (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.00-175.21; I2 =94%). The meta-analysis loosely suggests that the presence of severe liver fibrosis, cholestasis, and lobular inflammation are associated with lower odds of native liver survival in pediatric patients after Kasai.

Development and validation of a novel nomogram and risk score for biliary atresia in patients with cholestasis

BACKGROUND

Timely discriminating biliary atresia (BA) from other causes of cholestasis is important but challenging.

AIMS

To develop a useful diagnostic nomogram and a simplified scoring system to diagnosing BA.

STUDY DESIGN

All medical records of the patients who were consecutively admitted to our institution with cholestasis from March 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively searched. The patients were allocated to the derivation cohort (n = 343) and the validation cohort (n = 246). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to construct the nomogram. The nomogram was validated in both cohorts. The simplified risk score was derived from the nomogram.

RESULTS

The nomogram was constructed based on presence of clay stool, gallbladder length, gallbladder emptying index, shear wave elastography value, and gamma-glutamyl transferase level. This model showed good calibration and discrimination ability, with the C-index of 0.968 (95% CI: 0.951-0.984). The discriminating ability is most prominent in the 61-90 days group, with AUC of 0.982 (95% CI: 0.955-1.000). The simplified risk score identified most patients with very high or low risk of BA, and was capable of exempting 64.3% non-BA patients from intraoperative cholangiogram procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel diagnostic nomogram had good discrimination and calibration abilities. The simplified scoring system showed significant clinical utility.

Diagnosis of liver cirrhosis with two-dimensional shear wave elastography in biliary atresia before Kasai portoenterostomy

PURPOSE

To evaluate the application value of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) for non-invasive diagnosis of liver cirrhosis (LC) in patients with biliary atresia (BA) before Kasai portoenterostomy (KP), and the cutoff value of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) for diagnosing LC.

METHODS

The clinical data of 51 patients with BA who were diagnosed via surgery and pathological results from May 2017 to December 2018 in the department of general surgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, were retrospectively analyzed. The liver tissue specimens obtained during KP were evaluated according to the METAVIR criteria. The LSM was obtained using the 2D-SWE technique before KP.

RESULTS

There was a grade positive correlation between LSM and METAVIR staging, and the Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.432 (P = 0.002). The AUC for 2D-SWE diagnosing LC (METAVIR score S = 4) in patients with BA before KP was 0.843 (95% confidence interval 0.736 ~ 0.950). The best cutoff value was 16.05 kPa, and the corresponding sensitivity was 75.0%, specificity was 83.7%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 46.1%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 94.7%, and the accuracy was 82.4%.

CONCLUSION

2D-SWE can be used to noninvasively diagnose LC in patients with BA before KP, and the cutoff value is 16.05 kPa.

The favorable prognosis of cystic biliary atresia may be related to early surgery and mild liver pathological changes

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study is to compare the prognostic differences between cystic biliary atresia (CBA) and non-CBA, analyze the clinical and liver pathological differences between the two groups, and explore the possible factors that affect the native liver survival of infants with CBA after Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE).

METHODS

From 2013 to 2020, 131 infants with BA were admitted to Tianjin Children's Hospital. A total of 108 infants with BA were included after excluding those who did not undergo surgery after diagnosis (n = 23), including 12 cases of CBA and 96 cases of non-CBA. The clinical data, native liver survival and liver pathology, including liver fibrosis, bile ductular proliferation (BDP), bile plug, and portal area inflammation infiltration of the two study groups were compared.

RESULTS

CBA accounts for 9.16% (12/131) and type I CBA accounts for 6.87% (9/131) of all types of BA. 16.7% (2/12) of CBA were detected prenatally with diagnosis of choledochal cyst (CC). The age at KPE, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and total bile acid levels of CBA were significantly lower than those of non-CBA (P = 0.047, P = 0.013, P = 0.009, P = 0.010, respectively). The long and wide diameters of the gallbladder were significantly larger than those of non-CBA (both P < 0.001). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of CBA were 83.3%, 71.4%, and 71.4%, respectively, and 56.5%, 32.5%, and 29.8%, respectively, in non-CBA. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.031). The degree of liver fibrosis and bile plug in non-CBA was higher than that of CBA (P = 0.004, P < 0.001, respectively). There was no difference of BDP and inflammation infiltration between the two groups (P = 0.285, P = 0.243, respectively).

CONCLUSION

CBA is a distinct type different from non-CBA, with different pathological processes, pathological manifestations, and clinical prognosis. The favorable prognosis of CBA may be derived from the early diagnosis, early operation, and mild pathological changes.

Variant etiologies of neonatal cholestasis and their outcome: a Middle East single-center experience

Aim of the study

Neonatal cholestasis (NC) constitutes a large proportion of pediatric liver disorders. Nevertheless, awareness of the variant etiologies and how to manage them appropriately are lacking. So, out of a few specialized centers, many cases pass without appropriate management. This study aimed to present our tertiary level center’s experience in NC that could increase the pediatrician’s awareness of handling this problematic and common medical morbidity efficiently.

Material and methods

It is a retrospective study in which we analyzed the NC cases admitted to the inpatient department within three years. For all recruited patients, the available data were retrieved and recorded.

Results

A total of 412 patients were reviewed with 20 different etiologies diagnosed. The most common cause was biliary atresia (n = 151, 37%), followed by progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (n = 51, 12%), neonatal sepsis (n = 39, 9%), and cytomegalovirus (n = 33, 8%). Of the 412 patients, 394 (81%) had follow-up ranging from 1 to 36 months. A total of 173 patients improved with supportive and/or specific therapy, while 108 patients died at a median age of 6 months. The commonest cause of death was liver failure (40.7%), followed by pneumonia (28.7%), sudden death (13%), septicemia (6.5%), and hepatorenal syndrome (5.5%).

Conclusions

NC constitutes more than one-third of the inpatient admissions of all pediatric liver disorders and has a high rate of mortality. Awareness of the variety of etiologies and a rapid stepwise approach to diagnosis could have an impact on the outcome of this devastating disease.