Histopathological Examination of Explanted Liver After Transplantation in Patients With Cryptogenic Cirrhosis

Undiagnosed liver diseases

The landscape of chronic liver disease has drastically changed over the past 20 years, largely due to advances in antiviral therapy and the rise of metabolic syndrome and associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of liver diseases, the burden of chronic liver disease is increasing worldwide. The first step to addressing any disease is accurate diagnosis. Here, we discuss liver diseases that remain undiagnosed, either because they are difficult to diagnose or due to hepatic manifestations of an unrecognized systemic disease. Additionally, their underlying etiology may remain unknown or they represent previously uncharacterized and therefore novel liver diseases. Our goal is to provide a framework for approaching undiagnosed liver diseases which elude standard hepatic diagnostic work-up and whose patterns of disease are often overlooked.

Pernicious anemia associated with cryptogenic cirrhosis: Two case reports and a literature review

RATIONALE

Pernicious anemia (PA) is an autoimmune gastritis that results from the destruction of gastric parietal cells and the associated lack of an intrinsic factor to bind ingested vitamin B12. While an association between PA and various liver diseases has been rarely reported, reports of associated diseases include primary biliary cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and Interferon-treated hepatitis C. We present 2 cases of PA associated with cryptogenic cirrhosis (CC), which has not been previously reported in the literature.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 42-year-old man presented with fatigue, pallor, and sustained abdominal distension that had persisted for 15 days. An 87-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for an unsteady gait and loss of appetite that had persisted for 20 days.

DIAGNOSES

Symptoms, laboratory tests, and imaging findings for both patients were indicative of PA and CC.Both had neurological and psychiatric symptoms during hospitalization that were ultimately linked to a vitamin B12 deficiency but not hepatic encephalopathy.

INTERVENTIONS

Both patients received intramuscular injections of vitamin B12.

OUTCOMES

Hemoglobin levels of the 2 patients increased gradually, and their neurological symptoms were alleviated.

LESSONS

PA associated with a liver disease is rare, and the underlying mechanism can only now be clarified. We speculate that autoimmune dysfunction and chronic vitamin B12 deficiency caused by PA might be unique causes of liver cirrhosis. Additional investigations are needed to verify these findings.

Perspective review on solid-organ transplant: needs in point-of-care optical biomarkers

Solid-organ transplant is one of the most complex areas of modern medicine involving surgery. There are challenging opportunities in solid-organ transplant, specifically regarding the deficiencies in pathology workflow or gaps in pathology support, which may await alleviations or even de novo solutions, by means of point-of-care, or point-of-procedure optical biomarkers. Focusing the discussions of pathology workflow on donor liver assessment, we analyze the undermet need for intraoperative, real-time, and nondestructive assessment of the donor injuries (such as fibrosis, steatosis, and necrosis) that are the most significant predictors of post-transplant viability. We also identify an unmet need for real-time and nondestructive characterization of ischemia or irreversible injuries to the donor liver, earlier than appearing on morphological histology examined with light microscopy. Point-of-procedure laparoscopic optical biomarkers of liver injuries and tissue ischemia may also facilitate post-transplant management that is currently difficult for or devoid of pathological consultation due to lack of tools. The potential and pitfalls of point-of-procedure optical biomarkers for liver assessment are exemplified in breadth for steatosis. The more general and overarching challenges of point-of-procedure optical biomarkers for liver transplant pathology, including the shielding effect of the liver capsule that was quantitated only recently, are projected. The technological and presentational benchmarks that a candidate technology of point-of-procedure optical biomarkers for transplant pathology must demonstrate to motivate clinical translation are also foreseen.