Inter-observer variability in histopathological assessment of liver biopsies taken in a pediatric open label therapeutic program for chronic HBV infection treatment.

AIM: To our knowledge, the inter-observer variability of the liver biopsy findings in HBV-infected children have not been studied as yet. Hence, we aimed to compare different pathologist's assessment of grading and staging in liver biopsies obtained from children prior to interferon treatment. METHODS: We collected 920 biopsies from 11 medical centers. The biopsies were independently reviewed by 6 pathologists from academic centers who assessed Batts-Ludwig score for grading and staging. Satisfactory agreement among observers was defined as at least 60% of observers having the same opinion. Satisfactory dispersion between maximal and minimal score for the same biopsy specimen was defined as a maximum 1 point. RESULTS: Satisfactory inter-observer agreement for grading was obtained in 51.6% and for staging in 75.7% of biopsies. Satisfactory dispersion for grading scores was observed in 44.5% and for staging in 72.7% of cases. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that: (1) pathologists differ in their assessment of grading and staging of liver biopsies; (2) inter-observer variability for staging is lower than that for grading; and (3) regardless of the inter-observer variability of assessments, the majority of children with chronic HBV infection have mild to moderate inflammation and mild to moderate fibrosis.

Assessment of correlation between histopathologic changes of gastric mucosa according to Whitehead's classification and extent of liver damage according to Knodell's scale in patients with chronic hepatopathy.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Patients with chronic liver damage often suffer from functional disturbances and pathologic changes in the stomach, including ulceration, erosions and chronic gastritis. It was attempted to establish whether there is a correlation between histopathologic abnormalities of the gastric mucosa and the extent of histopathologic changes in liver bioptates, i.e. inflammatory activity and fibrosis (Knodell's index) in patients with chronic hepatopathy. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study was carried out in 4 groups of patients: groups I--10 subjects with autoimmune hepatitis, group II--9 patients with chronic toxic liver damage, group III--11 patients with chronic hepatitis caused by HBV, and group IV--36 patients with chronic hepatitis caused by HCV. All the patients underwent gastroscopy with collection of gastric mucosa bioptates (from the antrum and the gastric body) as well as liver biopsy. RESULTS: The most frequent gastroscopy finding in all the studied groups were signs of gastritis: in group I--90%, in group II--78%, in group III--64% and in group IV--99%. Gastric mucosa histopathology assessed according to Whitehead's classification most frequently led to the diagnosis of gastritis chronica profunda (Group I--80%, Group II--78%, Group III--73% and Group IV--58%). No correlation was found between inflammatory activity in the liver assessed according to Knodell's scale and the extent of changes in histopathology of the gastric mucosa (p = 0.1). A negative correlation which, however, does not reach significance level (p = 0.054), is observed between the extent of fibrosis in liver bioptates and histopathologic abnormalities in the gastric mucous membrane. CONCLUSION: No statistically significant correlation between the extent of gastric mucosa damage and severity of inflammatory lesions and hepatic fibrosis was found.

Autoimmune hepatitis in the material of Department and Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Gdansk.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was the analysis of patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), with respect to diagnostics, clinical course and treatment, based on the material from the wards of infectious diseases. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study was carried out in the group of 106 AIH patients--95 females aged 11-81 (mean age 46 years) and 11 males aged 8-73 (mean age 35 years). The diagnosis of AIH was based on international criteria, including biochemical test results, autoantibodies, and liver tissue morphology. Serological test excluded hepatitis of viral etiology. Diagnostic procedures included also blood cell count, biochemical parameters of liver function with protein fractions, immunoassays (immunoglobulins, autoantibodies), according to commonly used methods. Liver biopsies were performed in 93 patients. RESULTS: The clinical presentation mimicked acute viral hepatitis in 75% of cases, in the remaining 25% corresponded to chronic viral hepatitis. 26% had other coincident disorders of autoimmune etiology. In 84% the initial stage of the disease was characterized with moderately severe course, in 11%--severe, 7% of the patients died--half of them at the initial stage of the disease. The following morphological patterns of hepatic abnormalities were observed: hepatitis chronica agresiva, fibrosis periportalis, hepatitis chronica agresiva in cirrhosim vertens, cirrhosis hepatis activa, hepatitis chronica persistence, hepatitis granulomatosa. Over 40% of patients demonstrated relapses of the disease due to discontinuation of treatment after obtaining clinical and biochemical remission. 51 patients were treated with glucocorticosteroid monotherapy, the same number with glucocorticosteroids combined with azathioprine, 1 female patient underwent liver transplantation. In nearly 30% of patients, the diagnosis of AIH was established after a period of persistence of pathologic symptoms of over a year. CONCLUSIONS: Late diagnoses of AIH indicate insufficient knowledge of the disease among physicians. The methods of treatment used in AIH are not sufficiently effective. Discontinuation of treatment should be preceded in each case by overall assessment of the pathologic process, including biochemical parameters, autoantibody level and liver histopathology.

Disturbances of iron metabolism in chronic liver diseases.

BACKGROUND: Systematic biochemical and histopathological studies carried out in patients with diagnosed chronic liver diseases (cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma) confirm the important pathogenetic role of commonly occurring accumulation of iron deposits, and not only in the classic form of hemochromatosis. The reports concern the pathologic role of iron storage in the liver often accompanying metabolic disturbance syndrome including obesity, type II diabetes and hypertension. The aim of the study was preliminary assessment of the incidence of iron metabolism disturbances in the population of patients with chronic liver diseases. MATERIAL/METHODS: Among 351 patients of the Department of Infectious Diseases who had histopathologic investigations of liver bioptates performed in 2000-2001, 99 subjects (28%) with morphological confirmation of iron deposition in the liver were selected. Retrospective analysis based on data from the patients' medical records took into consideration demographic information, results of laboratory tests (blood levels of hemoglobin, ALAT, iron, ferritin) and the ultimate diagnosis. The correlations between iron metabolism disturbances and the observed liver pathology were analyzed. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 99 subjects including 77 males (mean age 42.8 yrs) and 22 females (mean age 47.5 yrs). Most of them had been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, (N = 39). Liver damage due to hyperlipidemia was diagnosed in 12, and toxic liver damage in 11 patients. Subjects with chronic renal failure and after antitumor therapy accounted for 14%. In 7 patients, hemochromatosis was diagnosed or suspected. In that group, mean serum ferritin level amounted to 959.3 ng/ml. In 79% of cases, ALT values fell within the 41-500 IU/l range, whereas iron and ferritin levels exceeded the normal limits in 49% and 71% of cases, respectively. The preliminary analysis of pathologic iron accumulation in liver bioptates in relation to biochemical parameters of iron metabolism measured in the blood did not allow unequivocal confirmation of linear correlation between these phenomena. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Over 1/4 of patients diagnosed because of chronic liver diseases demonstrated excessive accumulation of iron in liver bioptates. 2. The analyzed group consisted predominantly of males with chronic hepatitis C. 3. Metabolic or toxic liver damage was diagnosed n 1/3 of cases. 4. No unequivocal confirmation of correlation between pathologic iron accumulation in the liver and values of iron metabolism parameters in blood was obtained.