Guidelines on the use of liver biopsy in clinical practice. British Society of Gastroenterology

Platelet and INR Thresholds and Bleeding Risk in Ultrasound Guided Percutaneous Liver Biopsy: A Before-After Implementation of the 2019 Society of Interventional Radiology Guidelines Observational Quality Improvement Study

Purpose: To evaluate if implementation of the 2019 Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) guidelines for periprocedural management of bleeding risk in patients undergoing percutaneous ultrasound guided liver biopsy is associated with increased haemorrhagic adverse events, change in pre-procedural blood product utilization, and evaluation of guideline compliance rate at a single academic institution. Methods: Ultrasound guided percutaneous liver biopsies from (January 2019-January 2023) were retrospectively reviewed (n = 504), comparing biopsies performed using the 2012 SIR pre-procedural coagulation guidelines (n = 266) to those after implementation of the 2019 SIR pre-procedural guidelines (n = 238). Demographic, preprocedural transfusion, laboratory, and clinical data were reviewed. Chart review was conducted to evaluate the incidence of major bleeding adverse events defined as those resulting in transfusion, embolization, surgery, or death. Results: Implementation of the 2019 SIR periprocedural guidelines resulted in reduced guideline non-compliance related to the administration of blood products, from 5.3% to 1.7% (P = .01). The rate of pre-procedural transfusion remained the same pre and post guidelines at 0.8%. There was no statistically significant change in the incidence of bleeding adverse events, 0.8% pre guidelines versus 0.4% post (P = 1.0). Conclusion: Implementation of the 2019 SIR guidelines for periprocedural management of bleeding risk in patients undergoing percutaneous ultrasound guided liver biopsy did not result in an increase in bleeding adverse events or pre-procedural transfusion rates. The guidelines can be safely implemented in clinical practice with no increase in major adverse events.

Gastric Injury in Percutaneous Transhepatic Liver Biopsy After Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Report of Two Cases

Percutaneous transhepatic liver biopsy (PTLB) is essential for assessing liver function but carries risks such as bleeding, cholangitis, bowel injuries, and rare fatal complications. Gastric injury following PTLB is rare and not widely reported. This report describes two cases of gastric injury during ultrasound (US)-guided PTLB in patients following living donor liver transplantation. Gastric injury is uncommon, particularly when sampling from the left lobe due to its proximity to the stomach. Ensuring a clear field of vision, meticulous equipment preparation, and skilled technique are crucial for safe PTLB. When there is a risk of gastric injury, using smaller and shorter needles or alternative methods to US-guided PTLB is essential. Gastric injury should be promptly considered and treated if multiple punctures are required and if abdominal symptoms or gastrointestinal bleeding occur after PTLB.

Technical Success, Sample Adequacy, and Complications of Pediatric Transjugular Liver Biopsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) procedurally samples liver tissue through the internal jugular vein. It is indicated in the presence of coagulopathies and/or ascites.

AIMS

This meta-analysis aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of TJLB in children.

METHODS

A literature search of several databases was conducted from inception to August 2022. Eligible studies reported pediatric patients (< 18 years old) who underwent TJLB. The pooled proportion was analyzed using a random-effects model. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022354421).

RESULTS

From 921 initial studies screened, eight met the eligibility criteria, with a total of 361 pediatric patients who underwent 374 TJLBs. All eight studies reported pooled rates of technical success at 99.1% (95% CI 0.982, 1.001; I2 = 0%) and histological adequacy of sampling at 97.5% (95% CI 0.954, 0.995; I2 = 27.66%). A total of 49 complications were reported across six studies, the most common being bleeding from the entry site (38.78%), fevers for less than 24 h (12.24%), red blood cells transfusion requirement (10.2%), supraventricular tachycardia (8.16%), and pain requiring analgesia (8.16%).

CONCLUSION

Pediatric TJLB demonstrates high rates of technical success and adequate liver core biopsy samples, with a low rate of complications. These results suggest that TJLB is an effective method for diagnostic yield and postprocedural outcomes, especially in patients with preexisting coagulopathies and ascites where percutaneous liver biopsy is contraindicated. Additional studies evaluating larger groups of pediatric patients may provide further support for the use of TJLB in this population.

The usefulness of a newly developed full-core biopsy needle in liver biopsy

AIM

To evaluate the usefulness and safety of a newly developed full-core biopsy needle.

METHODS

We selected 149 patients who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy at our institution from February 2019 to April 2021. We excluded 35 patients with hepatic fibrosis stage F3 or higher, which made it histopathologically difficult to measure the number of complete portal triads. The patients were divided into two groups as follows: 62 cases with the 18-G conventional automated needle (TruCore needle: T needle), and 52 cases with the 18-G full-core needle (CorVocet needle: C needle). We measured the number of complete portal triads in the liver tissue specimens, and the sum of the length and width of the collected tissues. Moreover, we compared the number of session counts, fragmentations, and complications.

RESULTS

The sum of the length and the width was 12.8 mm (11.2-14.3) and 15.9 mm (13.1-17.3; p < 0.001), and 0.68 mm (0.63-0.74) and 0.82 mm (0.78-0.90; p < 0.001) for the T needle and C needle, respectively. The number of complete portal triads and fragmentation was six (3-8) and 10 (6-13; p < 0.001), and one (1-10) and one (1-3; p < 0.001), for the T needle and C needle, respectively. There was one session count (1-2) in both groups; however, there were significantly higher cases of two sessions with the T needle than that with the C needle (p = 0.018). There were no serious adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the conventional needles, the newly developed full-core needles enabled the acquisition of a larger amount of tissue sample in liver biopsy.

Standard immunosuppressive treatment reduces regulatory B cells in children with autoimmune liver disease

Introduction

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver disease caused by a perturbed immune system. The scarcity of short- and long-term immune monitoring of AIH hampered us to comprehend the interaction between immunosuppressive medication and immune homeostasis.

Methods and patients

We recruited children with AIH at the time of diagnosis and at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th, 18th, and 24th months of immunosuppression (IS). We also enrolled children with AIH being on IS for >2 years. Children with drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and those receiving tacrolimus after liver transplantation (LT), were enrolled as disease/IS control subjects. Healthy children (HC) were also recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from all participants. Healthy liver tissue from adult donors and from livers without inflammation were obtained from children with hepatoblastoma. By using flow cytometry, we performed multi-parametric immune profiling of PBMCs and intrahepatic lymphocytes. Additionally, after IS with prednisolone, tacrolimus, rapamycin, or 6-mercaptopurine, we carried out an in vitro cytokine stimulation assay. Finally, a Lifecodes SSO typing kit was used to type HLA-DRB1 and Luminex was used to analyze the results.

Results

Untreated AIH patients had lower total CD8 T-cell frequencies than HC, but these cells were more naïve. While the percentage of naïve regulatory T cells (Tregs) (CD4⁺FOXP3^lowCD45RA⁺) and regulatory B cells (Bregs, CD20⁺CD24⁺CD38⁺) was similar, AIH patients had fewer activated Tregs (CD4⁺FOXP3^highCD45RA ^- ) compared to HC. Mucosal-associated-invariant-T-cells (MAIT) were also lower in these patients. Following the initiation of IS, the immune profiles demonstrated fluctuations. Bregs frequency decreased substantially at 1 month and did not recover anymore. Additionally, the frequency of intrahepatic Bregs in treated AIH patients was lower, compared to control livers, DILI, and LT patients. Following in vitro IS drugs incubation, only the frequency of IL-10-producing total B-cells increased with tacrolimus and 6MP. Lastly, 70% of AIH patients possessed HLA-DR11, whereas HLA-DR03/DR07/DR13 was present in only some patients.

Conclusion

HLA-DR11 was prominent in our AIH cohort. Activated Tregs and MAIT cell frequencies were lower before IS. Importantly, we discovered a previously unrecognized and long-lasting Bregs scarcity in AIH patients after IS. Tacrolimus and 6MP increased IL-10+ B-cells in vitro.

Donor-Specific Cell-Free DNA qPCR Quantification as a Noninvasive Accurate Biomarker for Early Rejection Detection in Liver Transplantation

(1) Background: Graft-cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the circulation of liver transplant recipients has been proposed as a noninvasive biomarker of organ rejection. The aim of this study was to detect donor-specific cfDNA (ds-cfDNA) in the recipient's serum after either liver damage or rejection using a qPCR-based method. (2) Methods: We proposed a qPCR method based on the amplification of 10 specific insertion-deletion (InDel) polymorphisms to detect donor-specific circulating DNA diluted in the recipient cfDNA. ds-cfDNA from 67 patients was evaluated during the first month post-transplantation. (3) Results: Graft rejection in the first month post-transplantation was reported in 13 patients. Patients without liver complications showed a transitory increase in ds-cfDNA levels at transplantation. Patients with rejection showed significant differences in ds-cfDNA increase over basal levels at both the rejection time point and several days before rejection. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that ds-cfDNA levels discriminated rejection, with an AUC of 0.96. Maximizing both sensitivity and specificity, a threshold cutoff of 8.6% provided an estimated positive and negative predictive value of 99% and 60%, respectively. (4) Conclusions: These results suggest that ds-cfDNA may be a useful marker of graft integrity in liver transplant patients to screen for rejection and liver damage.

Association between serum ferritin level and the various stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review

Introduction

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disorder across the world, and non-invasive evaluation approaches are in need to assess NAFLD disease progression. Serum ferritin has been proposed as one of the biomarkers for NAFLD diagnosis in previous studies. This systematic review aims to identify, report, and synthesize studies that investigated the association of serum ferritin level with the various stages of NAFLD among the adult population.

Methods

Three databases - MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus - were systematically searched to obtain potentially relevant publications before July 2022. No restrictions were applied to geographical region, study design, publication type and language. The association between serum ferritin level or different ferritin categories and the various stages of NAFLD was the primary outcome of interest. Title and abstract screenings, data extraction and coding, and quality assessment were independently completed by two authors with discrepancies resolved through discussion with a third author.

Results

Thirty-two studies were included and heterogeneity was considerable. The associations between serum ferritin level and the stages of hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, inflammation and ballooning and the occurrence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) were investigated but inconsistent associations were reported. Most studies identified serum ferritin to be a predictor of advanced NAFLD, while several revealed the opposite end.

Conclusions

Serum ferritin could be considered to act as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing various stages of NAFLD. Nevertheless, further studies are still in need to confirm its predictive value since this study reported inconsistent associations based on the qualitative synthesis.

Systematic Review Registration

http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42021275630.

Unmixing multi-spectral electrical impedance tomography (EIT) predicts clinical-standard controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease classification: a feasibility study

Here, we tested the feasibility of predicting CAP with multi-spectral EIT. Conductivity and CAP were acquired from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients using a portable EIT system and vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE). We then used frequency-difference conductivity and waist-over-height as prediction features to estimate CAP and found an adj. R² of 0.92. We further developed a novel prediction method by incorporating EIT spectral unmixing reconstruction and demonstrated an improvement in CAP estimation. Last, we optimized the EIT acquisition process by minimizing the total variance of the CAP estimator. Clinical Relevance: EIT can estimate clinical-standard liver disease classification. This portable EIT system is potentially cost-effective and self-administrable with short acquisition time (3 mins), while VCTE are costly and usually requires a trained personnel to operate with longer acquisition time (5-10 mins).

Retrospective Evaluation of Non-Invasive Assessment Based on Routine Laboratory Markers for Assessing Advanced Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Background

At present, there is a lack of cheap, effective and convenient detection methods for hepatitis B-related liver fibrosis, especially in the developing area.

Aim

To evaluate the non-invasive methods for the significant and advanced fibrosis stage in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients in basic hospitals and to assess their diagnostic utility.

Methods

The study included 436 consecutive naive HBV individuals who had their livers biopsied. They were examined in one week using aspartate aminotransferase-to-aspartate aminotransferase ratio (AAR), age-platelet index (API), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), Forns, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR), S-index and transient elastography (TE). Scheuer scoring system was used to determine the histologic fibrosis grades (S0–S4). The diagnostic effectiveness was assessed using AUROCs and the DeLong test, both of which were based on statistical comparisons.

Results

For both substantial (≧S2) and advanced (≧S3) fibrosis phases, TE had good diagnostic performance in determining the hepatic fibrosis. Similar diagnostic performance was shown with Forns and S-index when it came to detecting fibrosis stages lower than S3. One model’s diagnostic value was not significantly improved by combining serum models. Correlation coefficients between clinical features and fibrosis phases were greatest for Forns (r = 0.397), S-index (r = 0.382) and TE (r = 0.535) when compared to other variables.

Conclusion

This investigation showed that Forns and S-index may be helpful strategies for detecting advanced fibrosis in HBV patients admitted to community hospitals.

Ficolin-2 Plasma Level Assesses Liver Fibrosis in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Fibrosis is the strongest predictor for disease-specific mortality in non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), but the need for liver biopsy limits its diagnosis. We assessed the performance of plasma ficolin-2 (FCN-2) as a biomarker of fibrosis identified by an in silico discovery strategy. Two hundred and thirty-five morbidly obese (MO) subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD stratified by fibrosis stage (F0, n = 44; F1, n = 134; F2, n = 46; F3/F4, n = 11) and 40 cirrhotic patients were enrolled. The cohort was subdivided into discovery (n = 76) and validation groups (n = 159). The plasma level of FCN-2 and other candidate markers was determined. FCN-2 was inversely correlated with the stage of liver fibrosis (ρ = −0.49, p < 0.001) independently of steatosis (p = 0.90), inflammation (p = 0.57), and ballooning (p = 0.59). In the global cohort, FCN-2 level decreased significantly in a stepwise fashion from F0/F1 (median 4753 ng/mL) to F2−F3−F4 (2760 ng/mL) and in cirrhotic subjects (1418 ng/mL). The diagnostic performance of FCN-2 in detecting F ≥ 2 was higher than other indexes (APRI, FIB-4) (AUROC 0.82, 0.68, and 0.6, respectively). The accuracy improved when combined with APRI score and HDL values (FCNscore, AUROC 0.85). Overall, the FCN-2 plasma level can accurately discriminate liver fibrosis status (minimal vs. moderate/advanced) significantly improving the fibrosis diagnostic algorithms.

Effects of Different Recovery Positions on the Postpercutaneous Liver Biopsy Complications: A Metaanalysis

Objective: We aim to evaluate the effects of different recovery positions on the adverse events and the patient acceptability in those who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB). Methods: A literature search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, CNKI, Sinomed, and Wanfang databases. The time for the article extraction was until July 2020. The articles were screened by two independent researchers, together with the bias risk evaluation and data extraction. The RevMan 5.4 software was utilized for the metaanalysis. Results: Finally, two articles involving 180 subjects were eligible for this study. Metaanalysis showed that at T0, the alternation between right-side and combined position (CRP) would induce an elevation of post-PLB pain compared with the dorsal/supine position (SRP) [WMD = -2.00, 95% CI (-3.54, -0.47), p = 0.01]. There were no statistical differences in the postoperative pain among the CRP, SRP, and right-side position (RRP). The patient acceptability of SRP and RRP was higher than that of the CRP. Finally, two eligible studies were included, which showed no incidence of pneumothorax and abdominal bleeding. Conclusions: CRP would induce post-PLB pain at T0. SRP was the most acceptable position for the cases that underwent PLB. There were no statistical differences in the incidence of pneumothorax and abdominal bleeding. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42020196633.

Isolated hepatic tuberculosis associated with portal vein thrombosis and hepatitis B virus coinfection: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

While tuberculosis (TB) itself is a common disease, isolated TB of the liver is a rare entity. Tubercular involvement of the liver is more commonly a part of a disseminated disease of the hepatic parenchyma. In contrast, isolated hepatic TB spread through the portal vein from the gastrointestinal tract is seldom encountered in clinical practice, with only a few sporadic cases and short series available in the current literature. Vascular complications, such as portal vein thrombosis (PVT), have rarely been reported previously.

CASE SUMMARY

A 22-year-old man was hospitalized with complaints of a 3-mo history of fever and weight loss of approximately 10 kg. He had a 10-year hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in his medical history. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) confirmed hepatosplenomegaly, with hypodensity of the right lobe of the liver and 2.1 cm thrombosis of the right branch of the portal vein. A liver biopsy showed epithelioid granulomas with a background of caseating necrosis. Ziehl-Nelson staining showed acid-fast bacilli within the granulomas. The patient was diagnosed with isolated hepatic TB with PVT. Anti-TB therapy (ATT), including isoniazid, rifapentine, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, was administered. Along with ATT, the patient was treated with entecavir as an antiviral medication against HBV and dabigatran as an anticoagulant. He remained asymptomatic, and follow-up sonography of the abdomen at 4 mo showed complete resolution of the PVT.

CONCLUSION

Upon diagnosis of hepatic TB associated with PVT and HBV coinfection, ATT and anticoagulants should be initiated to prevent subsequent portal hypertension. Antiviral therapy against HBV should also be administered to prevent severe hepatic injury.

A real-world study evaluating ultrasound-guided percutaneous non-targeted liver biopsy needle failures and pathology sample-quality assessment in both end-cut and side-notch needles

OBJECTIVES

To determine biopsy device failures, causative factors, complications and sample quality of the 16G end-cut Biopince^™ and side-notch Bard^™ needles.

METHODS

All ultrasound-guided non-targeted liver biopsies between 01/01/2016 and 31/12/2018 were included. Operator, device, number of failures, complications and repeat biopsies were recorded. Histopathology samples were reviewed for all cases of needle failure and a group with no failures, and graded "yes/no" for the presence of steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. The pathology slides from these cases were reviewed to assess biopsy sample quality (length and portal tract number). The failure and no-failure groups were compared in terms of device type/histology, and sample quality was compared between the needle types.

RESULTS

1004 patients were included. 93.8% (n = 942) required one needle pass to obtain a sample and 6.2% (n = 62) required >1 pass due to needle failure. Total of 76 needle failures, more with end-cut than side-notch needles (8.7% vs 2.9%) (p < 0.001). No needle failures resulted in complication. The presence of liver fibrosis was associated with fewer needle failures (p = 0.036). The major complication rate was 0.4% (4/1044). A biopsy with >10 portal tracts was obtained in 90.2% of specimens > 20 mm long, compared with 66% of 16-20 mm biopsies and 21% of <16 mm biopsies. The target of >10 portal tracts was achieved in 10/26 (38.5%) of side-notch biopsies and 64/90 (71.1%) of end-cut biopsies (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound-guided liver biopsy is safe and sample quality is consistently good when a core >20 mm long is obtained. The end-cut biopsy device generated reliably good quality biopsy samples; however, the needle failure rate was significantly higher than the side-cut needle.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Ultrasound-guided liver biopsy specimen quality is consistently good when a core >20 mm long is obtained which can be achieved with a single pass using the 16G Biopince^TM end-cut needle, although the needle failure rate is significantly higher than the 16G Max-Core^™ Bard^™ side-notch needle.

Need for analgesia after percutaneous liver biopsy: a real-life experience

Objective

To evaluate variables affecting the need for analgesia after ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy performed on an outpatient basis.

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of 1,042 liver biopsies performed between 2012 and 2018. The data collected included the age and sex of the patient, as well as self-reported pain in the recovery room, the pain treatment used, the indication for the biopsy, and the lobe punctured. As per the protocol of our institution, physicians would re-evaluate patients with mild pain (1-3 on a visual analog scale), prescribe analgesics for those with moderate pain (4-6 on the visual analog scale), and prescribe opioids for those with severe pain (7-10 on the visual analog scale).

Results

The main indications for biopsy were related to diffuse disease (in 89.9%), including the follow-up of hepatitis C (in 47.0%) and suspicion of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (in 38.0%). Pain requiring analgesia occurred in 8.0% of procedures. Of the 485 female patients, 51 (10.5%) needed analgesia, compared with 33 (5.9%) of the 557 male patients (p < 0.05). The need for analgesia did not differ in relation to patient age, the lobe punctured, or the indication for biopsy (nodular or diffuse disease). The analgesic most commonly used was dipyrone (in 75.9%), followed by paracetamol alone (16.4%) and their combination with opioids (7.6%).

Conclusion

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy is safe and well tolerated. Postprocedural pain does not correlate with the lobe punctured, patient age, or the indication for biopsy and appears to affect more women than men.

Validation of fatty liver disease scoring systems for ultrasound diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescents

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing in young populations. However, there are inadequate data regarding diagnosis of NAFLD. We aimed to validate three scoring systems against a previous standard of suprailiac skinfold thickness for diagnosing NAFLD in population-based adolescents.

METHODS

Seventeen-year-old adolescents (n = 899), participating in the Raine Study, attended a cross-sectional follow-up. NAFLD was diagnosed using liver ultrasound. Scores for Fatty liver index (FLI), Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI) and Zhejiang University index (ZJU index) were calculated. Diagnostic accuracy of these diagnostic tests was evaluated through discrimination and calibration.

RESULTS

NAFLD was diagnosed 9% in males and 15% in females. The three scoring systems demonstrated better discrimination performance for NAFLD in males (AUC was FLI:0.82, HSI: 0.83 and ZJU index: 0.83) compared to females (AUC was FLI: 0.67, HSI: 0.67 and ZJU index: 0.67). Suprailiac skinfold performed better than the scoring systems (overall AUC: 0.82; male AUC:0.88; female AUC:0.73). FLI had best calibration performance.

CONCLUSION

Suprailiac skinfold thickness was a better predictor of ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD than the three diagnostic scoring systems investigated. The higher performance characteristics of the algorithmic scoring systems in males compared with females may have implications for use in population assessments.

Thrombocytopenia and Hemostatic Changes in Acute and Chronic Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Clinical and Laboratory Features, and Management

Thrombocytopenia, defined as a platelet count <150,000/μL, is the most common complication of advanced liver disease or cirrhosis with an incidence of up to 75%. A decrease in platelet count can be the first presenting sign and tends to be proportionally related to the severity of hepatic failure. The pathophysiology of thrombocytopenia in liver disease is multifactorial, including (i) splenomegaly and subsequently increased splenic sequestration of circulating platelets, (ii) reduced hepatic synthesis of thrombopoietin with missing stimulation both of megakaryocytopoiesis and thrombocytopoiesis, resulting in diminished platelet production and release from the bone marrow, and (iii) increased platelet destruction or consumption. Among these pathologies, the decrease in thrombopoietin synthesis has been identified as a central mechanism. Two newly licensed oral thrombopoietin mimetics/receptor agonists, avatrombopag and lusutrombopag, are now available for targeted treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with advanced liver disease, who are undergoing invasive procedures. This review summarizes recent advances in the understanding of defective but at low level rebalanced hemostasis in stable cirrhosis, discusses clinical consequences and persistent controversial issues related to the inherent bleeding risk, and is focused on a risk-adapted management of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease, including a restrictive transfusion regimen.

Percutaneous hepatic biopsy under propofol sedation. A safe and effective procedure

INTRODUCTION

the percutaneous hepatic biopsy is a necessary procedure for the diagnosis of liver diseases which can cause complications and psychological discomfort for the patient.

AIMS

to determine the safety profile of propofol in percutaneous hepatic biopsy, the complications of the technique per se and patients satisfaction once completed.

METHODS

a retrospective observational study was performed via the acquisition of data of tolerance and perceived quality by the patients using a transversal survey.

RESULTS

ninety-seven patients were included with an average propofol dose of 170.46 mg. Of the complications resulting from the sedation, there were six slight desaturations (6.2 %) resolved with a forehead maneuver (50 %) or cessation of the propofol infusion pump (50 %) and eleven hypotension episodes (11.3 %) resolved without intervention (82.82 %) or with fluid replacement (18.18 %). Of the complications resulting from the technique, there were three cases of early-onset pain (3.1 %) and one delayed (1.03 %); all were resolved with 1 g of intravenous paracetamol. All patients were discharged with oral tolerance and without the need for analgesia 24 hours after the procedure. General satisfaction, as well as psychological discomfort, were evaluated as "very good/excellent" in 100 % of the patients.

DISCUSSION

propofol demonstrated a favorable safety profile in hepatic biopsy, aiding in the ultimate success of the procedure and tolerance for the patient. We propose the expansion of the use of sedation with propofol to this procedure.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided, Percutaneous, and Transjugular Liver Biopsy: A Comparative Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims

Percutaneous liver biopsy (PCLB) or transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) have traditionally been performed to obtain a sample of hepatic tissue; however, endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUSLB) has become an attractive alternative. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of EUSLB, PCLB, and TJLB.

Methods

Search strategies were developed in accordance with PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. Major outcomes included the following: adequacy of biopsy specimens (i.e., complete portal triads [CPT], total specimen length [TSL] in mm, and length of longest piece [LLP]) in mm), and rate of adverse events. Only studies comparing all biopsy approaches (i.e., EUSLB, PCLB, and TJLB) were included.

Results

Five studies (EUSLB [n=301]; PCLB [n=176]; and TJLB [n=179]) were included. Biopsy cumulative adequacy rates for EUSLB, PCLB, and TJLB were 93.51%, 98.27%, and 97.61%, respectively. Based on the subgroup analysis limited to EUS biopsy needles in current clinical practice, there was no difference in biopsy adequacy or adverse events for EUSLB compared to PCLB and TJLB (all p>0.050). A comparison of EUSLB and PCLB revealed no difference between specimens regarding both CPT (p=0.079) and LLP (p=0.085); however, a longer TSL (p<0.001) was observed. Compared to TJLB, EUSLB showed no difference in LLP (p=0.351), fewer CPT (p=0.042), and longer TSL (p=0.005).

Conclusions

EUSLB appears to be a safe, minimally invasive procedure that is comparable to PCLB and TJLB regarding biopsy specimens obtained and rate of adverse events associated with each method.

Vibration-Guided Transient Elastography: A Novel Fibroscan® Examination with Improved Guidance for Liver Stiffness Measurement

Vibration-controlled transient elastography-based FibroScan (Echosens, Paris, France) is today considered the reference device for non-invasive assessment of liver stiffness, and has been found to be a good surrogate marker of liver fibrosis. One major issue when using VCTE™ is the necessity to find an optimal measurement window before triggering measurements. In this article, a new method called vibration-guided transient elastography (VGTE) facilitating the localization of an optimal measurement window is proposed. VGTE relies on a combination of continuous and transient vibrations used to locate the liver and to measure liver stiffness, respectively. Two studies conducted on customized phantoms and on 31 volunteers compared VGTE with standard ultrasound-based tools. VGTE performed significantly better than standard ultrasound-based tools in detection of an optimal measurement window. The operator never failed to find a valid measurement window using VGTE. VGTE can also detect artifacts such as lungs, ribs and blood vessels.

Guidelines on the use of liver biopsy in clinical practice from the British Society of Gastroenterology, the Royal College of Radiologists and the Royal College of Pathology

Liver biopsy is required when clinically important information about the diagnosis, prognosis or management of a patient cannot be obtained by safer means, or for research purposes. There are several approaches to liver biopsy but predominantly percutaneous or transvenous approaches are used. A wide choice of needles is available and the approach and type of needle used will depend on the clinical state of the patient and local expertise but, for non-lesional biopsies, a 16-gauge needle is recommended. Many patients with liver disease will have abnormal laboratory coagulation tests or receive anticoagulation or antiplatelet medication. A greater understanding of the changes in haemostasis in liver disease allows for a more rational, evidence-based approach to peri-biopsy management. Overall, liver biopsy is safe but there is a small morbidity and a very small mortality so patients must be fully counselled. The specimen must be of sufficient size for histopathological interpretation. Communication with the histopathologist, with access to relevant clinical information and the results of other investigations, is essential for the generation of a clinically useful report.

Clinical application of ultrasonography-guided percutaneous liver biopsy and its safety over 18 years

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Liver biopsy (LB) remains the gold standard for the evaluation of liver disease. However, over the past two decades, many noninvasive tests have been developed and utilized in clinical practice as alternatives to LB. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical use and safety of LB in the era of noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 1,944 consecutive cases of LB performed between 2001 and 2018 in a tertiary hospital. All of the LBs were conducted under ultrasonography guidance with 18-gauge cutting needles.

RESULTS

LBs were performed an average of approximately 108 times per year during the study period. Chronic hepatitis B (25.3%) and suspected malignancy (20.5%) were the two most common indications for LB. The use of LB for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increased from 8.1% to 17.2% in the past 5 years compared to the last 10 years, while that for viral hepatitis decreased from 40.3% to 18.9%. Discordance rate between the suspected diagnosis and the final diagnosis was 2.6% (51 cases). The overall rate of major adverse events was 0.05% (one case), which involved delayed bleeding at the biopsy site. Liver cirrhosis was observed in 563 cases (28.9%), and the presence of cirrhosis did not affect the frequency of complications (P=0.289).

CONCLUSION

LB is widely used in clinical practice as an irreplaceable diagnostic tool, even in the era of noninvasiveness. Ultrasonography-guided LB can be performed safely in patients with liver cirrhosis.

The efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy versus percutaneous liver biopsy in patients with chronic liver disease: a retrospective single-center study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

There is limited literature on endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB), a new method of obtaining liver biopsy (LB).

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of the efficacy and safety of EUS-LB compared to percutaneous liver biopsy (PC-LB) in patients with chronic liver disease at our center between January 2018 and August 2019.

RESULTS

Thirty patients underwent EUS-LB and 60 patients underwent PC-LB were identified (median follow-up post-LB was 8 days; interquartile range (IQR), 3-5 days). The median number of portal tracts was significantly higher in the PC-LB group (13 vs. 5; P < 0.0001). A histologic diagnosis was established in 93% of the EUS-LB group, compared to 100% in the PC-LB group (P = 0.841). Patients in EUS-LB group had significantly shorter hospital stay (median time of hospital stay was 3 vs. 4.2 h in the EUS-LB vs. PC-LB group, respectively; P = 0.004) and reported less pain compared to PC-LB group (median pain score was 0 vs. 3.5; P = 0.0009). EUS-LB were performed using a 19-gauge (n = 27) or 22-gauge (n = 3); there was a tendency towards higher number of portal tracts in the 22- vs. the 19-gauge needle group (6 vs. 5; P = 0.501). No patient in either group had significant adverse events such as bleeding or death.

CONCLUSION

EUS-LB is safe and is associated with less pain, shorter hospital stay, and high diagnostic yield (93%) compared to PC-LB. Randomized trials are needed to standardize the utility of EUS-LB.

Heterogeneity of Liver Disease in Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorders

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent primary immunodeficiency (PID) in adulthood and is characterized by severe reduction of immunoglobulin serum levels and impaired antibody production in response to vaccines and pathogens. Beyond the susceptibility to infections, CVID encompasses a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations related to a complex immune dysregulation that also affects liver. Although about 50% CVID patients present persistently deranged liver function, burden, and nature of liver involvement have not been systematically investigated in most cohort studies published in the last decades. Therefore, the prevalence of liver disease in CVID widely varies depending on the study design and the sampling criteria. This review seeks to summarize the evidence about the most relevant causes of liver involvement in CVID, including nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH), infections and malignancies. We also describe the clinical features of liver disease in some monogenic forms of PID included in the clinical spectrum of CVID as ICOS, NFKB1, NFKB2, CTLA-4, PI3Kδ pathway, ADA2, and IL21-R genetic defects. Finally, we discuss the clinical applications of the various diagnostic tools and the possible therapeutic approaches for the management of liver involvement in the context of CVID.

Complications of Ultrasound-guided Liver Biopsy at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan: An Audit

Introduction

Liver diseases account for two million deaths per year worldwide, half of which are attributed to complications of cirrhosis. Liver conditions have wide-ranging serological findings and imaging appearances and may require biopsy for a definitive diagnosis. Despite ultrasound (US) guidance, liver biopsy is an invasive procedure and the expected benefit must outweigh risks involved. 

Objective 

The purpose of the audit was to calculate complication rates of US-guided liver biopsy and summarize institutional data pertaining to the procedure. 

Materials and Methods

The audit was performed at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. All consecutive patients undergoing liver biopsy from February 2017 - February 2018 were included. Medical records of patients were reviewed for complications of liver biopsy. 

Results

The study population consisted of 157 adult and 21 pediatric patients. Complications were encountered in nine patients (5%), minor complications in seven (4%) and major complications in two (1.1%). Among the minor complications, haematoma formation was noted in four patients (2.2%), minor abdominal pain in two patients (1.1%), and minor hemorrhage during the procedure in one patient (0.5%). Minor complications were seen more frequently in pediatric (14%) patients as compared to adults (3.8%). One patient developed a major hemorrhage (> 2 g/dl drop in hemoglobin (Hb)), and another patient developed severe vasovagal hypotension. There was no mortality in the study population resulting from complications of the liver biopsy. The audit standards set were met for all parameters, except major hemorrhage (< 0.5%) which was narrowly missed (0.56%).

Conclusion

US-guided liver biopsy at our institution has a good safety profile with complication rates within the expected range. Departmental practices are compliant with established practices and guidelines.   

Liquid biopsy for non-invasive assessment of liver injury in hepatitis B patients

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B is a major public health problem in China. Accurate liver injury assessment is essential for clinical evidence-based treatment. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard method to stage liver disease, but it is not widely used in resource-limited settings. Therefore, non-invasive liquid biopsy tests are needed.

AIM

To assess liver injury in hepatitis B patients using quantified cell free DNA combined with other serum biomarker as a liquid biopsy-based method.

METHODS

A cohort of 663 subjects including 313 hepatitis B patients and 350 healthy controls were enrolled. Ultrasound-guided liver biopsies followed by histopathological assessments were performed for the 263 chronic hepatitis B patients to determine the degree of liver injury. Cell-free DNA was quantified using a novel duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay.

RESULTS

Compared with healthy controls, patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection had significantly higher plasma DNA, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin, and HBV DNA levels (P < 0.01). Serum ALT, AST, bilirubin, and plasma DNA levels of patients with marked-severe inflammation were significantly higher than those with mild-moderate inflammation (P < 0.01). There was a statistically significant correlation between hepatocyte inflammation severity and serum bilirubin (R² = 0.673, P < 0.01) or plasma DNA (R² = 0.597, P < 0.01) levels. The areas under the curves of serum ALT, bilirubin, plasma DNA, and their combination to distinguish between patients with mild–moderate and marked-severe inflammation were 0.8059, 0.7910, 0.7921, and 0.9564, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The combination of plasma DNA, serum ALT, and bilirubin could be a candidate liquid biopsy for non-invasive assessment of liver injury in hepatitis B patients.

Fine needle aspirates comprehensively sample intrahepatic immunity

OBJECTIVE

In order to refine new therapeutic strategies in the pipeline for HBV cure, evaluation of virological and immunological changes compartmentalised at the site of infection will be required. We therefore investigated if liver fine needle aspirates (FNAs) could comprehensively sample the local immune landscape in parallel with viable hepatocytes.

DESIGN

Matched blood, liver biopsy and FNAs from 28 patients with HBV and 15 without viral infection were analysed using 16-colour multiparameter flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The proportion of CD4 T, CD8 T, Mucosal Associated Invariant T cell (MAIT), Natural Killer (NK) and B cells identified by FNA correlated with that in liver biopsies from the same donors. Populations of Programmed Death-1 (PD-1)^hiCD39^hi tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells (CD69⁺CD103⁺) and liver-resident NK cells (CXCR6⁺T-bet^loEomes^hi), were identified by both FNA and liver biopsy, and not seen in the blood. Crucially, HBV-specific T cells could be identified by FNAs at similar frequencies to biopsies and enriched compared with blood. FNAs could simultaneously identify populations of myeloid cells and live hepatocytes expressing albumin, Scavenger Receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1), Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), whereas hepatocytes were poorly viable after the processing required for liver biopsies.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrate for the first time that FNAs identify a range of intrahepatic immune cells including locally resident sentinel HBV-specific T cells and NK cells, together with PD-L1-expressing hepatocytes. In addition, we provide a scoring tool to estimate the extent to which an individual FNA has reliably sampled intrahepatic populations rather than contaminating blood. The broad profiling achieved by this less invasive, rapid technique makes it suitable for longitudinal monitoring of the liver to optimise new therapies for HBV.

The Measurement of Donor-Specific Cell-Free DNA Identifies Recipients With Biopsy-Proven Acute Rejection Requiring Treatment After Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Assessment of donor-specific cell-free DNA (dscfDNA) in the recipient is emerging as a noninvasive biomarker of organ rejection after transplantation. We previously developed a digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approach that readily measures dscfDNA within clinically relevant turnaround times. Using this approach, we characterized the dynamics and evaluated the clinical utility of dscfDNA after liver transplantation (LT).

METHODS

Deletion/insertion polymorphisms were used to distinguish donor-specific DNA from recipient-specific DNA. Posttransplant dscfDNA was measured in the plasma of the recipients. In the longitudinal cohort, dscfDNA was serially measured at days 3, 7, 14, 28, and 42 in 20 recipients. In the cross-sectional cohort, dscfDNA was measured in 4 clinically stable recipients (>1-y posttransplant) and 16 recipients (>1-mo posttransplant) who were undergoing liver biopsies.

RESULTS

Recipients who underwent LT without complications demonstrated an exponential decline in dscfDNA. Median levels at days 3, 7, 14, 28, and 42 were 1936, 1015, 247, 90, and 66 copies/mL, respectively. dscfDNA was higher in recipients with treated biopsy-proven acute rejection (tBPAR) when compared to those without. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of dscfDNA was higher than that of routine liver function tests for tBPAR (dscfDNA: 98.8% with 95% confidence interval, 95.8%-100%; alanine aminotransferase: 85.7%; alkaline phosphatase: 66.4%; gamma-glutamyl transferase: 80.1%; and bilirubin: 35.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

dscfDNA as measured by probe-free droplet digital PCR methodology was reflective of organ health after LT. Our findings demonstrate the potential utility of dscfDNA as a diagnostic tool of tBPAR.

Biliary mucinous cystic neoplasm mimicking a hydatid cyst: a case report and literature review

Background

Biliary mucinous cystic neoplasms are rare cystic lesions of the liver which carry pre-malignant potential. Given the scarcity of reports in the literature, they pose a considerable challenge to clinical management, particularly with regards to accurate pre-operative diagnosis.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 37-year-old Tunisian woman who presented with subacute right upper quadrant pain and a large multi-loculated cystic lesion, most consistent with a hydatid cyst. She underwent an open right hepatectomy, and pathology surprisingly revealed a biliary mucinous cystadenoma. Herein, we review the current literature on biliary mucinous cystic neoplasms, with a particular emphasis on diagnostic investigations, key radiological features and optimal treatment modalities.

Conclusion

Biliary mucinous cystic neoplasms require a high index of suspicion and should be managed with complete surgical resection, as conservative techniques are associated with high recurrence rates. Considering the potential for malignant transformation, periodical surveillance imaging is recommended in the post-operative period.

Establishing an indwelling peritoneal catheter as a standard procedure for hospitalized patients with ascites: Retrospective data on feasibility, effectiveness and safety

Background

The use of an indwelling peritoneal catheter system in hospitalized patients with ascites could facilitate patient management by the prevention of repetitive abdominal paracentesis. Despite these possible benefits, the use of indwelling catheters is not widely established.

Objective

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness and safety of the use of an indwelling catheter for ascites drainage in the clinical routine.

Methods

This retrospective study included all indwelling peritoneal catheter placements in our department in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis between 2014 and 2017.

Results

A total of 324 indwelling catheter placements for ascites in 192 hospitalized patients with cirrhosis were included. The catheter (7F, 8 cm) was placed ultrasound-assisted bed-side on the hospital ward. The technical success rate of the catheter placement was 99.7% (323/324). In 17.5% (64/324) the catheter was placed to optimize ascitic drainage prior to an abdominal intervention (e.g. transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt). The median time of catheter retention was 48 hours (8-168 hours) and the median cumulative amount of drained ascites 8000 ml (550-28,000). The most common adverse event was acute kidney injury (49/324, 15.1%); the risk was particularly higher in patients with a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score ≥ 16 (p = 0.028; odds ratio 2.039). Ascitic fistula after catheter removal was observed in 9.6% (31/324). Catheter-related infections occurred in 4.3% (14/324), and bleeding was documented in three cases (0.8%) with one major bleeding (0.3%).

Conclusion

The placement of an indwelling catheter for repetitive ascitic drainage in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis can be established in the clinical routine, facilitating patient management. High-MELD patients especially have to be monitored for acute kidney injury.

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus patients compared to liver biopsy: the experience of tertiary level hospital in Serbia

BACKGROUND

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, that is defined by active carriage of HCV RNA in the blood, is represents one of the major public health problems worldwide. In Serbia, the prevalence of anti-HCV positive persons in the general population, is estimated on average 1.13%.

METHODS

The aim of our study was to evaluate the ability of noninvasive scores in order to define the degree of liver fibrosis, and to assess the effect of host and viral factors on fibrosis in chronic HCV patients. In a retrospective analysis a total of 814 patients with chronic HCV infection were included. Liver fibrosis scores were calculated, and in particular AST/ALT Score APRI, Forns Index, and FIB-4 score, and all of them compared with histological classification.

RESULTS

We found that noninvasive biochemical scores of fibrosis, have a good performance especially to distinguish mild and moderate fibrosis to advanced fibrosis. In particular, we found that FIB-4 score is a useful screening tool to accurately exclude patients with advanced disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Noninvasive liver fibrosis scores are efficient tools in the management and follow-up of HCV patients in clinical practice.

ACVIM consensus statement on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis in dogs

This consensus statement on chronic hepatitis (CH) in dogs is based on the expert opinion of 7 specialists with extensive experience in diagnosing, treating, and conducting clinical research in hepatology in dogs. It was generated from expert opinion and information gathered from searching of PubMed for manuscripts on CH, the Veterinary Information Network for abstracts and conference proceeding from annual meetings of the American College of Veterinary Medicine and the European College of Veterinary Medicine, and selected manuscripts from the human literature on CH. The panel recognizes that the diagnosis and treatment of CH in the dog is a complex process that requires integration of clinical presentation with clinical pathology, diagnostic imaging, and hepatic biopsy. Essential to this process is an index of suspicion for CH, knowledge of how to best collect tissue samples, access to a pathologist with experience in assessing hepatic histopathology, knowledge of reasonable medical interventions, and a strategy for monitoring treatment response and complications.

Endoscopic ultrasound guided liver biopsy for parenchymal liver disease

Liver biopsy plays an essential role in the diagnosis, evaluation and management of a vast proportion of liver diseases. Conventionally, percutaneous and trans-jugular approaches have been used to obtain liver biopsies. Endoscopic ultrasound guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) has emerged as a safe and effective alternate in the past two decades. EUS-LB carries a role in evaluation of both benign and malignant diseases of the liver. It can offer higher resolution imaging of the liver and can detect smaller lesions than computed tomography scan of the abdomen or ultrasound scans with the option for doppler assistance to reduce complications. Current evidence demonstrates the superiority of EUS-LB for a targeted approach of focal lesion and there is also evidence of less sampling variability in heterogeneous parenchymal pathologies. These advantages combined with an improved safety profile had led to the rapid progress in the development of new techniques, equipment and procedures for EUS-LB. We provide a comprehensive review of EUS-LB for parenchymal liver disease.

Mapping tissue water T1 in the liver using the MOLLI T1 method in the presence of fat, iron and B0 inhomogeneity

Modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) T1 mapping sequences can be useful in cardiac and liver tissue characterization, but determining underlying water T1 is confounded by iron, fat and frequency offsets. This article proposes an algorithm that provides an independent water MOLLI T1 (referred to as on-resonance water T1 ) that would have been measured if a subject had no fat and normal iron, and imaging had been done on resonance. Fifteen NiCl2 -doped agar phantoms with different peanut oil concentrations and 30 adults with various liver diseases, nineteen (63.3%) with liver steatosis, were scanned at 3 T using the shortened MOLLI (shMOLLI) T1 mapping, multiple-echo spoiled gradient-recalled echo and 1 H MR spectroscopy sequences. An algorithm based on Bloch equations was built in MATLAB, and water shMOLLI T1 values of both phantoms and human participants were determined. The quality of the algorithm's result was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient between shMOLLI T1 values and spectroscopically determined T1 values of the water, and by linear regression analysis. Correlation between shMOLLI and spectroscopy-based T1 values increased, from r = 0.910 (P < 0.001) to r = 0.998 (P < 0.001) in phantoms and from r = 0.493 (for iron-only correction; P = 0.005) to r = 0.771 (for iron, fat and off-resonance correction; P < 0.001) in patients. Linear regression analysis revealed that the determined water shMOLLI T1 values in patients were independent of fat and iron. It can be concluded that determination of on-resonance water (sh)MOLLI T1 independent of fat, iron and macroscopic field inhomogeneities was possible in phantoms and human subjects.

Incidental Hepatic Tissue Obtained via Routine Cholecystectomy

Background. The hepatic tissue that may occupy specimens from routine cholecystectomies has yet to be studied. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of hepatic tissue obtained at routine cholecystectomy, to determine whether such hepatic tissue can histologically withstand technical artifacts commonly associated with cholecystectomy, and to determine whether examining such hepatic tissue has diagnostic utility. Materials and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 50 specimens from routine cholecystectomies that were performed by surgeons who lacked knowledge of our study. All 50 specimens were grossed according to standard protocol, with only limited, nontargeted sampling of the rough nonperitonealized margin, and were received without fixative. Results. Twelve specimens (24.0%) contained hepatic tissue. The hepatic tissue measured up to 44.5-mm long and 1.8-mm wide and contained up to 11 complete portal tracts. Hepatic tissue in 3 specimens satisfied criteria for adequacy established for core biopsies based on number of portal tracts or size. Despite cautery and delayed fixation, all hepatic tissue had surprisingly well-preserved histology. Pathologic findings included nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, von Meyenburg complex, chronic cholestasis, and senescence. Conclusions. The hepatic tissue that accompanies specimens from routine cholecystectomies may be relatively common, can be large, is well preserved, and can harbor diagnostically useful information.

Derivation and Performance of Standardized Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) Test Thresholds for the Detection and Prognosis of Liver Fibrosis

INTRODUCTION

Noninvasive tests are increasingly used to assess liver fibrosis and determine prognosis but suggested test thresholds vary. We describe the selection of standardized thresholds for the Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) test for the detection of liver fibrosis and for prognostication in chronic liver disease.

METHODS

A Delphi method was used to identify thresholds for the ELF test to predict histological liver fibrosis stages, including cirrhosis, using data derived from 921 patients in the EUROGOLF cohort. These thresholds were then used to determine the prognostic performance of ELF in a subset of 457 patients followed for a mean of 5 years.

RESULTS

The Delphi panel selected sensitivity of 85% for the detection of fibrosis and >95% specificity for cirrhosis. The corresponding thresholds were 7.7, 9.8, and 11.3. Eighty-five percent of patients with mild or worse fibrosis had an ELF score ≥7.7. The sensitivity for cirrhosis of ELF ≥9.8 was 76%. ELF ≥11.3 was 97% specific for cirrhosis. ELF scores show a near-linear relationship with Ishak fibrosis stages. Relative to the <7.7 group, the hazard ratios for a liver-related outcome at 5 years were 21.00 (95% CI, 2.68-164.65) and 71.04 (95% CI, 9.4-536.7) in the 9.8 to <11.3 and ≥11.3 subgroups, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The selection of standard thresholds for detection and prognosis of liver fibrosis is described and their performance reported. These thresholds should prove useful in both interpreting and explaining test results and when considering the relationship of ELF score to Ishak stage in the context of monitoring.

Acute Pancreatitis Secondary to Hemobilia after Percutaneous Liver Biopsy: A Rare Complication of a Common Procedure, Presenting in an Atypical Fashion

Percutaneous Liver Biopsy is an often-required procedure for the evaluation of multiple liver diseases. The complications are rare but well reported. Here we present a case of a 60-year-old overweight female who underwent liver biopsy for elevated alkaline phosphatase. She developed acute pancreatitis secondary to hemobilia, with atypical signs and symptoms, following the biopsy. She never had the classic triad of RUQ pain, jaundice, and upper GI hemorrhage. There were also multiple negative imaging studies, thus complicating the presentation. She was successfully treated with ERCP, sphincterotomy, balloon sweep, and stent placement. Angiography and transcatheter embolization were not required.

In vivo imaging of hepatic neutrophil migration in severe alcoholic hepatitis with 111In-radiolabelled leucocytes

The study’s aim was to image severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) using ¹¹¹In-labelled leucocytes with two objectives in mind: firstly for non-invasive diagnosis and secondly to provide a platform for experimental therapies aiming to inhibit intrahepatic neutrophil migration. ¹¹¹In-leucocyte scintigraphy was performed 30 min and 24 h post-injection in 19 patients with SAH, 14 abstinent patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis and 11 normal controls. Eleven with SAH and seven with cirrhosis also had ^99mTc-nanocolloid scintigraphy. Change in hepatic ¹¹¹In radioactivity was expressed as decay-corrected 24 h:30 min count ratio and, in SAH, compared with histological grading of steatohepatitis and expression of granulocyte marker, CD15. Hepatic microautoradiography on biopsy specimens obtained 24 h post-injection of ¹¹¹In-leucocytes was performed in one patient. Median 24 h:30 min hepatic ¹¹¹In activity ratio was higher in SAH (2.5 (interquartile range (IQR): 1.7–4.0) compared with cirrhotics and normal controls (1.0 (0.8–1.1) and 0.8 (0.7–0.9) respectively, P<0.0001). In SAH, it correlated with CD15 expression (r = 0.62, P=0.023) and was higher in marked compared with mild/moderate steatohepatitis (4.0 (3.0–4.6) compared with 1.8 (1.5–2.6), P=0.006). Hepatic-to-splenic ^99mTc count rate ratio was reduced in SAH (0.5 (0.4–1.4)) compared with cirrhotics (2.3( 0.6–3.0)) and three historic normal controls (4.2 (3.8–5.0); P=0.003), consistent with impaired hepatic reticuloendothelial function. Scintigraphic findings in SAH included prominent lung radioactivity at 30 min, likely the result of neutrophil primimg. Microautoradiography demonstrated cell-associated ¹¹¹In in areas of parenchymal neutrophil infiltration. In conclusion, ¹¹¹In-leucocyte scintigraphy can non-invasively diagnose SAH and could provide a platform for evaluation of novel treatments aiming to inhibit intrahepatic neutrophil migration.

Clinical utility of real-time ultrasound-multimodality fusion guidance for percutaneous biopsy of focal liver lesions

OBJECTIVES

To prospectively evaluate the clinical value of real-time ultrasonography (US)-computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion imaging for percutaneous needle biopsy of focal liver lesions (FLLs), and to compare its biopsy success rate with that of conventional US-guided biopsy in a propensity-score matched group.

METHODS

This study was approved by our Institutional Review Board and informed consent was obtained from all patients enrolled in the prospective study group. Ninety patients referred to the Department of Radiology for percutaneous biopsy of FLLs were enrolled in this study. Tumor visibility, attainment of a safe access route, and technical feasibility were assessed on conventional US first and later on real-time fusion imaging by one of four abdominal radiologists. Thereafter, differences in scores between real-time fusion imaging and conventional US were determined. In addition, overall diagnostic success rates of a real-time fusion imaging-guided biopsy group and a propensity-score matched, conventional US-guided biopsy group, consisting of 100 patients used as historical control, were compared.

RESULTS

With real-time fusion imaging, tumor visibility, attainment of a safe access route, and operator's technical feasibility were significantly improved compared with conventional US (P < .001). In addition, all invisible (n = 13) and not feasible (n = 10) FLLs on conventional US became visible and feasible for percutaneous US-guided biopsy after applying the fusion system. The diagnostic success rate of real-time fusion-guided biopsy was 94.4% (85/90), which was significantly better than that obtained with the conventional US-guided biopsy (94.4% vs. 83%, P < .03), with reduced biopsy procedure times (7.1 ± 3.5 vs. 9.7 ± 2.8, P < .02).

CONCLUSIONS

Real-time US-CT/MR fusion imaging guidance was able to provide clinical value for percutaneous needle biopsy of FLLs by improving the diagnostic success rate of biopsy and by reducing procedure time.

Delayed hepatic rupture post ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy: A case report

RATIONALE

Hemorrhage, one of complications after liver biopsy, is often identified immediately after the procedure while delayed liver rupture is relatively rare.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 45-year-old woman was diagnosed with undetermined liver cirrhosis and abnormal liver function. To determine the etiology and severity of liver cirrhosis, ultrasound-guided liver biopsy was arranged. The patients did not complain any pain during the procedure. Ultrasound examination on postoperative day1 (POD 1) and MRI on POD 3 showed no evidence of hematoma and ascites. On POD 7, however, the patient was taken to the hospital with a sudden onset of pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen.

DIAGNOSES

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed liver rupture of right inferior segment of the liver with subcapsular hematoma.

INTERVENTIONS

Patient was treated with infusion of 2-unit red blood cell suspension, fluid and hemostatics.

OUTCOMES

The vital signs of the patient were stabilized after the therapy. The follow-up ultrasound 1 month later showed a shrunken subcapsular hematoma measuring 4.2 × 2.1 cm at the right lobe.

LESSONS

Whenever a liver biopsy procedure is performed, the care should be taken to avoid puncturing those areas that may have liver incisure. Moreover, the patient need to rest for several days and to avoid heavy activities, which is one of the major risk factors for post-procedure bleeding.

IGFBP-1 and IGF-I as markers for advanced fibrosis in NAFLD - a pilot study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease globally. Advanced fibrosis (stage 3-4) is the most robust marker for future mortality, but diagnosis requires liver biopsy. Current non-invasive scoring systems aimed to identify advanced fibrosis are imperfect. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and its binding protein IGFBP-1 are liver derived proteins, that are involved in various liver disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the possible association between advanced fibrosis and IGF-I and IGFBP-1 in NAFLD.

METHODS

Fasting blood samples were obtained from 52 patients diagnosed with NAFLD by liver biopsy. Total IGF-I and IGFBP-1 concentrations were determined in serum by in-house radio-immuno-assays. IGF-I levels were age-standardized (IGF-SD). A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association of IGF-SD and IGFBP-1 with advanced fibrosis (stage 3-4).

RESULTS

Patients with advanced fibrosis (stage 3-4 vs. 0-2) had lower IGF-SD (-1.17 vs. 0.11, p = .01) and higher mean levels of IGFBP-1 (29.9 vs. 18.8 µg/l, p = .02). IGFBP-1 was associated with presence of advanced fibrosis (OR 1.04 per unit increase, 95%CI 1.0-1.07, p = .05), while IGF-1 was negatively associated with advanced fibrosis (OR 0.63 per standard deviation, 95%CI 0.44-0.92, p = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study suggests an association between serum IGFBP-1 and IGF-I levels with advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients. IGFBP1 and IGF-1 could be of interest as future biomarkers. Similar studies in larger cohorts are needed.

Effectiveness of Sedoanalgesia in Percutaneous Liver Biopsy Premedication

Aim:

Percutaneous needle liver biopsy (PLB) is frequently associated with pain and anxiety. This may discourage the patients for biopsy, and rebiopsies, if needed. We planned a study to investigate the efficacy of additional analgesia or sedation for PLB.

Materials and methods:

The study has been designed as a single-center, prospective study. The PLB was planned for 18- to 65-year-old consecutive patients who were included in the study. The patients were divided into three premedication groups as control, Meperidine, and Midazolam. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to measure each subject’s anxiety level. Fifteen minutes before the biopsy, 1 mL 0.9% NaCl subcutaneously (sc), 1 mg/kg (max 100 mg) Meperidine sc, or 0.1 mg/kg (max 5 mg) Midazolam intravenously was administered to patients respectively. Then PLB was done with 16 G Menghini needle. The day after, the patients were asked about feelings regarding biopsy.

Results:

Groups were similar by gender and age. The HADS scores prior to PLB and on visual analog scale (VAS, 1-10 points) score during PLB were similar. In the three groups, 7, 12, and 7 patients, respectively, experienced no pain. Other patients explained pain as mild or moderate or severe. The number of patients who agreed for possible rebiopsy was higher in Meperidine and Midazolam groups than in the control group.

Conclusion:

Premedication with Meperidine or Midazolam in PLB would improve patients’ tolerance, comfort, and attitude against a possible repeat PLB.

How to cite this article: Sezgin O, Yaras S, Ates F, Altintas E, Saritas B. Effectiveness of Sedoanalgesia in Percutaneous Liver Biopsy Premedication. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2017;7(2):146-149.

Prospective Validation of Intra- and Interobserver Reproducibility of a New Point Shear Wave Elastographic Technique for Assessing Liver Stiffness in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Objective

To assess intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of a new point shear wave elastography technique (pSWE, S-Shearwave, Samsung Medison) and compare its accuracy in assessing liver stiffness (LS) with an established pSWE technique (Virtual Touch Quantification, VTQ).

Materials and Methods

Thirty-three patients were enrolled in this Institutional Review Board-approved prospective study. LS values were measured by VTQ on an Acuson S2000 system (Siemens Healthineer) and S-Shearwave on an RS-80A (Samsung Medison) in the same session, followed by two further S-Shearwave sessions for inter- and intra-observer variation at 8-hour intervals. The technical success rate (SR) and reliability of the measurements of both pSWE techniques were compared. The intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of S-Shearwave was determined by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). LS values were measured by both methods of pSWE. The diagnostic performance in severe fibrosis (F ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (F = 4) was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis and the Obuchowski measure with the LS values of transient elastography as the referenced standard.

Results

The VTQ (100%, 33/33) and S-Shearwave (96.9%, 32/33) techniques did not display a significant difference in technical SR (p = 0.63) or reliability of LS measurements (96.9%, 32/33; 93.9%, 30/32, respectively, p = 0.61). The inter- and intra-observer agreement for LS measurements using the S-Shearwave technique was excellent (ICC = 0.98 and 0.99, respectively). The mean LS values of both pSWE techniques were not significantly different and exhibited a good correlation (r = 0.78). To detect F ≥ 3 and F = 4, VTQ and S-Shearwave showed comparable diagnostic accuracy as indicated by the following outcomes: areas under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) = 0.87 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.70–0.96), 0.89 for VTQ (95% CI 0.74–0.97), respectively; and AUROC = 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–0.94), 0.94 (95% CI 0.80–0.99) for S-Shearwave (p > 0.48), respectively. The Obuchowski measures were similarly high for S-Shearwave and VTQ (0.94 vs. 0.95).

Conclusion

S-Shearwave shows excellent inter- and intra-observer agreement and diagnostic effectiveness comparable to VTQ in detecting LS.

Effect of Pentoxifylline on Histological Activity and Fibrosis of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Patients: A One Year Randomized Control Trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

To observe the effect of Pentoxifylline for 1 year on hepatic histological activity and fibrosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A single center, open label Randomized Control Trial. Patients were included if they had ultrasonographic evidence of fatty liver and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS) ≥ 5 on liver histology. A total of 35 patients were selected; 25 of PL (Experimental) group and 10 of L (Control) group. PL group received 400 mg pentoxifylline thrice daily along with lifestyle modification and there was only lifestyle modification for the L group. After one year, NAS and fibrosis was compared in both groups.

RESULTS

In PL group, NAS improved 2.10 ± 1.07; whereas in L group, NAS was 0.90 ± 0.99 (P = 0.006). As per the protocol analysis, NAS ≥ 2 improved in 15/20 (75%) in PL group and in 3/10 (30%) in L group (P = 0.018). In PL group, the individual component of NAS, steatosis improved from 2.30 ± 0.66 to 0.95 ± 0.76 (P = 0.000), lobular inflammation from 1.65 ± 0.59 to 1.05 ± 0.51 (P = 0.002) and hepatocyte ballooning from 1.50 ± 0.51 to 1.30 ± 0.57 (P = 0.258). In L group, steatosis improved from 2.30 ± 0.68 to 1.40 ± 1.08 (P = 0.01), lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning did not improve. The fibrosis score did not improve in any group. In PL group, NAS improved significantly (P = 0.027; OR=22.76, CI=1.43-362.40) independent of weight reduction.

CONCLUSION

Pentoxifylline for 1 year improves the hepatic histological activity but not fibrosis of NASH patients.

Association of single nucleotide polymorphism at PNPLA3 with fatty liver, steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis of liver

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine the association of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) at I148 with histological severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

METHODS

Patients were selected for the study if they had histological evidence of NAFLD and clinical evidence of non-alcoholic steatohepatits (NASH) cirrhosis. We included 50 NASH cirrhosis, 99 patients of NAFLD including 36 non-NASH fatty liver (NNFL) along with 63 NASH and 75 healthy controls. PNPLA3 genotyping was done by real-time PCR using a Taqman assay for rs738409.

RESULTS

CC, CG, and GG frequencies were 45 (60.0%)/27 (36.0%)/3 (4.0%) in healthy control, 19 (52.8%)/14 (38.9%)/ 3 (8.3%) in NNFL, 18 (28.6%)/29 (46.0%)/16 (25.4%) in NASH, and 7 (14.6%), 25 (52.1%), 16 (33.3%) in cirrhosis. The frequency of G allele was significantly higher (62.6%) in NAFLD than in healthy control. The GG genotype had 20.25 times odds of NAFLD. The GG genotype had 6.53 times odds of having NASH. HOMA-IR > 1.6 had 3.81 times odds of having NASH. Regression analysis revealed that G allele odds of having cirrhosis was 3.9 times compared to C. The G allele was also significantly associated with steatosis, lobular inflammation, NAFLD activity score, and fibrosis.

CONCLUSION

PNPLA3 genotype showed an association with NAFLD, NASH, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.

Evaluation of outcomes of ultrasound guided celiac plexus neurolysis using immediate post procedure computed tomography: An observational study

BACKGROUND

An interventional procedure like celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) has a significant role in relieving intractable pain in patients with locally advanced abdominal malignancies. Ultrasound (USG) guidance enables performance of bedside CPN by real-time visualization of the needle trajectory. The objective of the study was to perform percutaneous USG-guided CPN and to verify technical outcomes of the procedure using a post-procedure CT scan.

METHODS

Eleven eligible patients of advanced upper abdominal malignancies having a pain score of >3/10 on visual analog scale (VAS) were recruited to undergo CPN. A post-procedure CT scan was performed to evaluate technical outcomes of the procedure. Patients were evaluated for pain relief. They were followed up at the 1st, 4th, and 6th weeks after CPN.

RESULTS

Eleven patients underwent USG-guided CPN. The injected drug was visualized as an echogenic cloud in ultrasound in 7 out of 11 (64%) patients. In the remaining 4 patients, the echogenic cloud was not well formed. In the post-procedure CT scan, the spread of the drug was seen in all 11 patients. This spread was bilaterally symmetrical in 7 (64%) patients and asymmetrical or unilateral in 4 (36%) patients. All patients in the immediate post-procedure period and 91% of the patients during the 1st-, 4th-, and 6th-week follow up had improvement in their pain scores.

CONCLUSION

A post-procedure CT scan was useful in verifying the technical outcome of USG-guided CPN in patients with advanced upper abdominal malignancies.

Serum ischemic modified albumin (IMA) concentration and IMA/albumin ratio in patients with hepatitis B-related chronic liver diseases

BACKGROUND/AIM

Albumin is the most important protein synthesized by the liver. Posttranscriptional changes occur in the molecular structure of albumin due to various factors and isoforms arise. Ischemic modified albumin (IMA) is one such isoform. This study was conducted to evaluate serum IMA concentrations in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related chronic liver diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included 74 treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B patients, 25 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis, and 49 healthy controls. Serum IMA concentration was measured spectrophotometrically using the albumin cobalt binding test.

RESULTS

The mean IMA concentrations in the chronic hepatitis B group and healthy controls were 0.33 ± 0.11 ABSU and 0.27 ± 0.70 ABSU, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Mean IMA/albumin ratios (IMAR) in the chronic hepatitis B and control groups were 0.08 ± 0.04 and 0.06 ± 0.17, respectively, and the difference was also statistically significant (P < 0.001). Higher serum IMA concentrations and IMAR were detected in patients with advanced fibrosis.

CONCLUSION

Serum IMA concentration and IMAR are increased in patients with HBV-related chronic liver diseases and IMA and IMAR are associated with the degree of liver fibrosis. IMA and IMAR may have potential use as noninvasive markers of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Development of Risk Prediction Model for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression of Indeterminate Nodules in Hepatitis B Virus-Related Cirrhotic Liver

OBJECTIVES

This study was performed to evaluate long-term outcome of indeterminate nodules detected on cirrhotic liver and to develop risk prediction model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression of indeterminate nodules on hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhotic liver.

METHODS

Indeterminate nodules up to 2 cm with uncertain malignant potential detected on computed tomography of cirrhotic liver during HCC surveillance were analyzed retrospectively. HCC risk prediction model of indeterminate nodules in HBV-related cirrhotic liver was deduced based on result of Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 494 indeterminate nodules were included. Independent risk factors of HCC progression were old age, arterial enhancement, large nodule size, low serum albumin level, high serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level, and prior HCC history in all included subjects. In subjects with chronic hepatitis B, old age (year; hazard ratio (HR)=1.06; P<0.001), arterial enhancement (HR=2.62; P=0.005), large nodule size (>1 cm; HR=7.34; P<0.001), low serum albumin level (≤3.5 g/dl; HR=3.57; P=0.001), high serum AFP level (≥100 ng/ml; HR=6.04; P=0.006), prior HCC history (HR=4.24; P=0.001), and baseline hepatitis B e antigen positivity (HR=2.31; P=0.007) were associated with HCC progression. We developed a simple risk prediction model using these risk factors and identified patients at low, intermediate, and high risk for HCC; 5-year cumulative incidences were 1%, 14.5%, and 63.1%, respectively. The developed risk score model showed good performance with area under the curve at 0.886 at 3 years, and 0.920 at 5 years in leave-one-out cross-validation.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a useful and accurate risk score model for predicting HCC progression of indeterminate nodules detected on HBV-related cirrhotic liver.

Probe-Free Digital PCR Quantitative Methodology to Measure Donor-Specific Cell-Free DNA after Solid-Organ Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Donor-specific cell-free DNA (dscfDNA) is increasingly being considered as a noninvasive biomarker to monitor graft health and diagnose graft rejection after solid-organ transplantation. However, current approaches used to measure dscfDNA can be costly and/or laborious. A probe-free droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) methodology using small deletion/insertion polymorphisms (DIPs) was developed to circumvent these limitations without compromising the quantification of dscfDNA. This method was called PHABRE-PCR (Primer to Hybridize across an Allelic BREakpoint-PCR). The strategic placement of one primer to hybridize across an allelic breakpoint ensured highly specific PCR amplification, which then enabled the absolute quantification of donor-specific alleles by probe-free ddPCR.

METHODS

dscfDNA was serially measured in 3 liver transplant recipients. Donor and recipient genomic DNA was first genotyped against a panel of DIPs to identify donor-specific alleles. Alleles that differentiated donor-specific from recipient-specific DNA were then selected to quantify dscfDNA in the recipient plasma.

RESULTS

Lack of amplification of nontargeted alleles confirmed that PHABRE-PCR was highly specific. In recipients who underwent transplantation, dscfDNA was increased at day 3, but decreased and plateaued at a low concentration by 2 weeks in the 2 recipients who did not develop any complications. In the third transplant recipient, a marked increase of dscfDNA coincided with an episode of graft rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

PHABRE-PCR was able to quantify dscfDNA with high analytical specificity and sensitivity. The implementation of a DIP-based approach permits surveillance of dscfDNA as a potential measure of graft health after solid-organ transplantation.

Relationship between Controlled Attenuation Parameter and Hepatic Steatosis as Assessed by Ultrasound in Alcoholic or Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background/Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and hepatic steatosis, as assessed by ultrasound (US) in patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods

Patients with either ALD or NAFLD who were diagnosed with fatty liver with US and whose CAP scores were measured, were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The degree of hepatic steatosis assessed by US was categorized into mild (S1), moderate (S2), and severe (S3).

Results

A total of 186 patients were included: 106 with NAFLD and 80 with ALD. Regarding hepatic steatosis, the CAP score was significantly correlated with US (ρ=0.580, p<0.001), and there was no significant difference between the NAFLD and ALD groups (ρ=0.569, p<0.001; ρ=0.519, p<0.001; p=0.635). Using CAP, area under receiver operating characteristic curves for ≥S2 and ≥S3 steatosis were excellent (0.789 and 0.843, respectively). For sensitivity ≥90%, CAP cutoffs for the detection of ≥S2 and ≥S3 steastosis were separated with a gap of approximately 35 dB/m in all patients and in each of the NAFLD and ALD groups.

Conclusions

The CAP score is well correlated with hepatic steatosis, as assessed by US, in both ALD and NAFLD.