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Kikuchi M, Koizumi A, Namisaki T, Asada S, Oyama M, Tomooka F, Fujimoto Y, Kitagawa K, Kawaratani H, Yoshiji H. Improvement of liver histology in hepatic sarcoidosis due to treatment with corticosteroids and ursodeoxycholic acid: a case report. Clin J Gastroenterol 2024; 17:327-333. [PMID: 38300407 DOI: 10.1007/s12328-023-01918-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
We report the case of a 48-year-old male with a history of pulmonary and ocular sarcoidosis. Non-caseating granulomas, identified histologically, are the most characteristic manifestation of sarcoidosis. Hepatic sarcoidosis is difficult to diagnose using radiological imaging. In the patient reported in this study, ultrasound and contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans identified multiple intra-abdominal lymphadenopathies, with evidence of liver and splenic infiltrations. The first liver biopsy revealed non-caseating granulomatous hepatitis consistent with hepatic sarcoidosis. The patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), but his laboratory parameters did not improve. Prednisone was initiated at a dose of 30 mg daily and slowly tapered. At a dose of 12.5 mg daily, marked improvements in the fibrotic and sarcoid-like lesions were noted at the second biopsy. A third biopsy was performed, with the patient on a prednisone taper of 5 mg/day showed mild fibrous expansion in the portal tracts and mild parenchymal necro-inflammatory lesions. However, overall, fibrosis marker levels remained stable over the course of treatment. A fourth biopsy was performed after a 5-year course of 5 mg/day prednisone. This revealed minimal lobular inflammation without fibrosis. Thus, treatment of this patient with corticosteroids and UDCA resulted in marked improvements in his biochemical and histological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayuko Kikuchi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Aritoshi Koizumi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Tadashi Namisaki
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
| | - Shouhei Asada
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Masafumi Oyama
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Fumimasa Tomooka
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Yuki Fujimoto
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Koh Kitagawa
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Hideto Kawaratani
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Yoshiji
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
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Chowdhury AB, Mehta KJ. Liver biopsy for assessment of chronic liver diseases: a synopsis. Clin Exp Med 2022; 23:273-285. [PMID: 35192111 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00799-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The world-wide increase in chronic liver disease (CLD) calls for refinement of diagnostic and prognostic measures for early and accurate disease detection and management. Regardless of the aetiology, liver biopsy allows direct visualisation of specimen under the microscope. It facilitates histological evaluation of disease-specific morphological alterations. Thereby, it aids in disease diagnosis, prognosis, and assessment of treatment compliance/response. Indeed, with the advent of non-invasive methods, liver biopsy is used less frequently than before, but it is still considered as a gold standard for staging and grading several CLDs. This short review revisits liver biopsy. It highlights the significance of liver biopsy in evaluating CLDs and explains the commonly used Ishak, METAVIR and Batts-Ludwig scoring systems for grading and staging CLDs. The utility of liver biopsy in examining alcohol-related liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is discussed along with the disease-specific alcoholic hepatitis histology score (AHHS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS). Additionally, the review elaborates on the role of liver biopsy in evaluating viral hepatitis, haemochromatosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Contextual explanation on the diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MAFLD) is provided. The significance and clinical indications of repeat biopsy are also explained. Lastly, caveats and limitations associated with liver biopsy are reviewed. Essentially, this review collates the application of liver biopsy in assessing various CLDs and provides succinct explanations of the core scoring systems, all under one roof. It is clinically relevant and provides a useful synopsis to budding scientists and hepato-pathologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqib B Chowdhury
- GKT School of Medical Education, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kosha J Mehta
- Centre for Education, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
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Putra J, Schiano TD, Fiel MI. Resolution of HCV-Autoimmune Hepatitis Overlap Syndrome With Antiviral TreatmentA Paired Liver Biopsy Study. Am J Clin Pathol 2019; 152:735-741. [PMID: 31310654 DOI: 10.1093/ajcp/aqz095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate histologic changes occurring in patients having chronic hepatitis C and autoimmune hepatitis overlap (HCV-AIH), and who achieved virologic cure using direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA). METHODS Characteristics of HCV-AIH patients who underwent paired liver biopsies before and after receiving DAA treatment from 2011 to 2018 were evaluated. RESULTS Five HCV-AIH patients (three male; mean age, 60.4 years) underwent paired liver biopsies (average interval, 2.3 years) before and after achieving cure with DAA treatment. All patients showed virologic response, while four showed decreased inflammation, and three cases showed features of fibrosis regression. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated significant decrease in plasma cell count in three patients (20.6 vs 11.9 plasma cells/high power field; P = .02, t test). CONCLUSIONS Histologic improvements in inflammation and fibrosis are noted in most HCV-AIH patients after DAA treatment, suggesting that the autoimmune component of the HCV-AIH overlap syndrome is merely a secondary phenomenon of viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Putra
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Division of Pathology, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Thomas D Schiano
- Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Recanati-Miller Transplant Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - M Isabel Fiel
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
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Jabłońska J, Cielecka-Kuszyk J, Mikuła T, Kozłowska J, Wiercińska-Drapało A. Hepatopathy of unknown etiology - is liver biopsy a good tool in differential diagnosis? Arch Med Sci 2019; 15:1462-1467. [PMID: 31749874 PMCID: PMC6855172 DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2019.82637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Liver biopsy is a well-known method for the diagnosis and evaluation of chronic diffuse liver diseases, especially among patients with "hepatopathy of unknown origin". MATERIAL AND METHODS In the years 2014-2015 we performed 259 liver biopsies in 28 patients (22 females, 6 males, aged 18-65 years, mean: 45 years) with an initial diagnosis of "hepatopathy of unknown origin". The liver biopsies of these 28 patients were revised by two independent pathologists. RESULTS Histopathological features of autoimmune conditions were found in 11 cases, steatohepatitis with/without Mallory bodies in 7, simple steatosis without inflammation in 2 cases. In the other 8 cases the histopathological features were non-specific but pointed to vanishing bile duct syndrome, hemochromatosis, acute inflammation or fibrosis without inflammation. Surprisingly, only mild fibrosis without inflammatory infiltrates was present in one patient with a high titer of antinuclear antibodies (ANA > 1 : 3200). Mild cholestasis with bilirubinostasis was found in 4 cases. One patient had prominent lobular iron deposits and is now under observation for hemochromatosis. Vanishing bile duct syndrome as ductopenia without any signs of inflammation was found in one patient with suspicion of primary biliary cirrhosis. In one liver biopsy specimen we found normal liver architecture without inflammation or steatosis in a patient with elevated ALT and GGT, negative for viral antibodies and autoantibodies. CONCLUSIONS Liver biopsy - despite the increasing access to new, non-invasive methods - remains a useful method in the differential diagnosis of liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Jabłońska
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Cielecka-Kuszyk
- Department of Virology, National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Mikuła
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Kozłowska
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Alicja Wiercińska-Drapało
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Aljumah AA, Al Jarallah B, Albenmousa A, Al Khathlan A, Al Zanbagi A, Al Quaiz M, Al-Judaibi B, Nabrawi K, Al Hamoudi W, Alghamdi M, Fallatah H. The Saudi association for the study of liver diseases and transplantation clinical practice guidelines for management of autoimmune hepatitis. Saudi J Gastroenterol 2018; 24:S1-S20. [PMID: 30264737 PMCID: PMC6305081 DOI: 10.4103/sjg.sjg_159_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Abdulrahman A. Aljumah
- Division of Hepatology, Hepatobiliary Sciences and Organ Transplant Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City and King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Badr Al Jarallah
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Al Qassim University, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Albenmousa
- Department of Gastroenterology, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Al Khathlan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adnan Al Zanbagi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Al Quaiz
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bandar Al-Judaibi
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester City, New York State, USA
| | - Khalid Nabrawi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Waleed Al Hamoudi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alghamdi
- Department of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Military Medical City, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hind Fallatah
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Guirguis J, Alonso Y, Lopez R, Carey W. Well-controlled autoimmune hepatitis treatment withdrawal may be safely accomplished without liver-biopsy guidance. Gastroenterol Rep (Oxf) 2018; 6:284-290. [PMID: 30430017 PMCID: PMC6225821 DOI: 10.1093/gastro/goy020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Autoimmune hepatitis may flare up after treatment withdrawal, especially in those who had not achieved histological remission but had normal liver enzymes. The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) Guidelines recommend performing liver biopsy before treatment withdrawal. The aim of the study is to define the outcome of treatment withdrawal in adults with well-controlled disease for 2 years with and without liver-biopsy guidance. Methods A retrospective observational study was conducted on biopsy-proven autoimmune hepatitis patients who were treated for 2 years and with persistently normal aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or nearly so for 6 months prior to treatment withdrawal. Exclusions were: juvenile onset autoimmune hepatitis and prior treatment or use of agents other than corticosteroids and azathioprine. The primary endpoint was to define freedom from flare-ups for 1 year after treatment withdrawal. Results Thirty-four consecutive subjects meeting study criteria were identified. Treatment withdrawal was accomplished in 24 subjects without liver-biopsy guidance and 10 had pre-treatment withdrawal liver biopsy. Demographics, immunosuppressive usage, pre-treatment cirrhosis and pre-treatment liver enzymes were similar between the two groups, and 25% had an enzyme flare-up within 12 months after treatment withdrawal, which was similar in the two groups (20.8 vs 30.0%, P = 0.57). Conclusions Adults with autoimmune hepatitis and excellent response to therapy for 2 years are candidates for treatment withdrawal without the need for liver biopsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Guirguis
- Department of Internal Medicine, Blake Medical Center, Bradenton, FL, USA
| | - Yilien Alonso
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Rocio Lopez
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - William Carey
- Digestive Disease Institute, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Huang YQ. Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of primary biliary cholangitis. World J Hepatol 2016; 8:1419-1441. [PMID: 27957241 PMCID: PMC5124714 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v8.i33.1419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), formerly referred to as primary biliary cirrhosis, is an infrequent progressive intrahepatic cholestatic autoimmune illness that can evolve into hepatic fibrosis, hepatic cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and, in some cases, hepatocellular carcinoma. The disease itself is characterized by T-lymphocyte-mediated chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis and elevated serum levels of extremely specific anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies (AMAs). In this article, we will not only review epidemiology, risk factors, natural history, predictive scores, radiologic approaches (e.g., acoustic radiation force impulse imaging, vibration controlled transient elastography, and magnetic resonance elastography), clinical features, serological characteristics covering biochemical markers, immunoglobulins, infections markers, biomarkers, predictive fibrosis marker, specific antibodies (including AMAs such as AMA-M2), anti-nuclear autoantibodies [such as anti-multiple nuclear dot autoantibodies (anti-sp100, PML, NDP52, anti-sp140), anti-rim-like/membranous anti-nuclear autoantibodies (anti-gp210, anti-p62), anti-centromere autoantibodies, and some of the novel autoantibodies], histopathological characteristics of PBC, diagnostic advances, and anti-diastole of PBC. Furthermore, this review emphasizes the recent advances in research of PBC in terms of therapies, including ursodeoxycholic acid, budesonide, methotrexate, obeticholic acid, cyclosporine A, fibrates such as bezafibrate and fenofibrate, rituximab, mesenchymal stem cells transplant, and hepatic transplant. Currently, hepatic transplant remains the only optimal choice with acknowledged treatment efficiency for end-stage PBC patients.
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