Liver Biopsy: To Do or Not to Do - A Single-Center Study.

INTRODUCTION: A variety of liver disorders are associated with characteristic histopathological findings that help in their diagnosis and treatment. However, percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is prone to limitations and complications. We evaluated all PLBs done in our hospital in a 13-year period, aiming to assess PLB's utility and complications. METHODS: All PLBs conducted in an internal medicine department of a tertiary university hospital in Athens, Greece, during a 13-year period were reviewed. Recorded data included demographic characteristics, laboratory results acquired on biopsy day, indication for liver biopsy, and occurrence of side effects. All patients were followed for 1 month post-hospital discharge for possible PLB-related complications. RESULTS: A total of 261 patients underwent PLB during the study period. The commonest indication of PLB was investigation of liver mass, followed by transaminasemia. PLB assisted in setting a diagnosis in 218 patients and was unhelpful in only 43, in 14 of them due to inadequate or inappropriate biopsy specimen. Complications attributable to PLB were rare, with 10 patients exhibiting pain, either at biopsy site or in the right shoulder, and 3 having bleeding episodes; no deaths were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that PLB is still a powerful diagnostic tool in everyday practice, provided it is used when indicated.

Severe hypertransaminasemia during mild SARS-CoV-2 infection: A pediatric case report and literature review.

Introduction: Liver injury during SARS-CoV-2 infection has a multifactorial pathogenesis and it is frequent in pediatric cases. Case presentation: We report a case with severe hypertransaminasemia associated with mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusion: This highlights the potential need of hepatic function evaluation during acute illness and follow-up even in non-critically ill children with COVID-19.

Congenital hepatic fibrosis: case report and review of literature.

Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF) is a rare autosomal recessive disease derived from biliary dysgenesis secondary to ductal plate malformation; it often coexists with Caroli's disease, von Meyenburg complexes, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). Although CHF was first named and described in detail by Kerr et al. in 1961. Its pathogenesis still remains unclear. The exact incidence and prevalence are not known, and only a few hundred patients with CHF have been reported in the literature to date. However, with the development of noninvasive diagnostic techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CHF may now be more frequently detected. Anatomopathological examination of liver biopsy is the gold standard in diagnosis of CHF. Patients with CHF exhibit variable clinical presentations, ranging from no symptoms to severe symptoms such as acute hepatic decompensation and even cirrhosis. The most common presentations in these patients are splenomegaly, esophageal varices, and gastrointestinal bleeding due to portal hypertension. In addition, in younger children, CHF often is accompanied by renal cysts or increased renal echogenicity. Great variability exists among the signs and symptoms of the disease from early childhood to the 5th or 6th decade of life, and in most patients the disorder is diagnosed during adolescence or young adulthood. Here, we present two cases of congenital hepatic fibrosis in 2-years-old girl and 12-year-old male who had been referred for evaluation of an abdominal distension with persistent hyper-transaminasemia and cholestasis, the diagnostic was made according to the results of medical imaging (CT or MRI), a liver biopsy, and genetic testing.

Relación entre el diagnóstico morfológico de EHNA (esteatohepatitis no alcohólica) y pruebas de función hepática en un grupo de pacientes con obesidad extrema / Relationship between morphological diagnosis of NASH (Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis) and liver function test in a group of patients with morbid obesity. Cases study

The non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) is a common disorder in obese, type 2 diabetics, female and patients with dislipidaemia. Hepatic biochemical test are abnormal. Despite the lack of its own morphological characteristics, NASH can be differentiated from other pathologies, the gold standard for diagnosis is liver biopsy. Material and methods: We designed a retrolective, comparative, observational and cross-sectional study. Thirty-five obese subjects (11 men and 24 women) who underwent to bariatric surgery and liver biopsy were included. Data were taken from clinical files, such as anthropometric and biochemical test. Those who had clinical history of related alcohol ingestión or liver damage related to drugs were excluded. A experimented pathologist classified the biopsies according to Brunt classification. Liver slides were classified according to 1) presence of NASH; 2) Inflammation and 3) Fibrosis. Differences between groups were analysed by ANOVA and Spearman correlation. Results: We found differences between women (w) and men (m) for height (m: 1.71 ± 0.9 vs. w:1.60 ± 0.09m); weight (m: 172.5 ± 39.1 vs. w: 126.9 ± 24.1kg) and BMI (m:58.2 ± 9.8 vs. w:49.8 ± 9) , but not for NASH frequency. Nevertheless subjects with NASH (n = 29, 82.8%) were older than those without NASH (38.3 ± 9.6 vs. 29.5 ± 5.2) and had higher aminotrasferases serum levels (AST: 33.1 ± 19.2 vs. 23.7 ± 6.3 UL/L; ALT: 36.5 ± 19.8 vs. 20.3 ± 7.6UL/L). NASH patíents and those with higher grade of histological inflammation had increment of transaminases and albumin levels. Fibrosis showed correlation only with AST (p = 0.020) and ALT (p = 0.002). Conclusion.The NASH frequency in patients who underwent to bariatric surgery for weight reduction is very high (82.8%) and exists correlation among liver test and histological findings but not with clinical because the clinical diagnosis is complicated.

La esteatohepatitis no alcohólica (EHNA) es una alteración hepática frecuente en obesos, diabéticos tipo 2, mujeres y personas con dislipidemia. Clínicamente se acompaña de alteraciones en las pruebas de función hepática (PFH), y aunque carece de características morfológicas distintivas, puede ser razonablemente diferenciada de otras entidades, el método diagnóstico por excelencia es la biopsia hepática. Material y métodos. Se diseñó un estudio retrolectivo, comparativo, observacional y transversal en el que se incluyeron 35 pacientes obesos (11 hombres y 24 mujeres) sometidos a tratamiento quirárgico para reducción de peso, con biopsia hepática en el periodo transoperatorio. Se obtuvieron, del expediente clínico, datos antropométricos y de laboratorio. Se excluyeron los pacientes con antecedentes de ingestión de alcohol y medicamentos asociados a la presencia de EHNA. Se recabaron muestras de las biopsias hepáticas que fueron analizadas por un patólogo experimentado, empleando la clasificación de Brunt para estratificación de EHNA. Los datos se clasificaron de acuerdo con: 1) Presencia de EHNA, 2) Grado de inflamación, 3) Presencia de fibrosis. Las diferencias entre los grupos fueron analizadas con Krusskal Wallis y correlación de Spearman. Resultados. Se encontró diferencias entre hombres (H) y mujeres (M) en estatura: (H:1.71 ± 0.9. vs. M:1.60 ±0.09 m); peso (H: 172.5 ± 39.1 vs. M:126.9 ± 24.1 kg) e índice de masa corporal (H:58.2 ± 9.8 vs. M: 49.8 ± 9); no hubo diferencias en la frecuencia de EHNA por género. Los sujetos con diagnóstico morfológico de EHNA (n = 29, 82.8%) mostraron una edad promedio mayor que el grupo sin EHNA (38.3 ± 9.6 vs. 29.5 ± 5.2, respectivamente) del mismo modo, la concentración de transaminasas fue mayor para el grupo con EHNA (AST: 33.1 ± 19.2 vs. 23.7 ± 6.3 UL/ L; ALT: 36.5 ± 19.8 vs. 20.3 ± 7.6 UL/L). Los pacientes con EHNA y con mayor grado de inflamación histológica mostraron mayor elevación de transaminasas y albámina. La presencia de fibrosis correlacionó con la elevación de aspartato aminotransferasa (AST p = 0.020) y alanino aminotransferasa (ALT p = 0.002). Conclusión. Este estudio demuestra que la frecuencia de EHNA en pacientes obesos sometidos a cirugía para reducción de peso en la clínica de obesidad del Instituto es alta (82.8%) y que existe una buena correlación entre las pruebas de función hepática y las alteraciones morfológicas; sin embargo, las anteriores no correlacionan con las manifestaciones clínicas por lo que el diagnóstico clínico temprano es difícil.