López, Rocío

AbstractBackgroundLiver biopsy is the gold standard to stage fibrosis in liver disease. Several scoring systems have been studied to predict advanced fibrosis in liver disease. Those scores have not been validated in pediatric liver transplant patients.AimEvaluate the performance of three fibrosis scores (FSc) in assessing the presence of advanced fibrosis (AF) in children after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).MethodsPatients < 20 years of age who underwent liver biopsy post‐OLT with laboratory values within 1 month of the biopsy were included. Fibrosis was determined by an experienced pathologist (F0‐4). We defined AF as F3‐4. The following FSc were calculated: AST/ALT ratio, APRI, and FIB‐4 index. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was done to assess the FSc performance in predicting AF.ResultsA total of 232 biopsies were analyzed, of those 42 (18.1%) showed AF (F3‐4). FIB‐4 was significantly higher in patients with AF compared to those without AF [median value of 1.1 [0.7, 3.0] and 0.6 [0.2, 1.4], respectively (p = .02)]; however, FIB‐4 had satisfactory accuracy to diagnose AF with significant overlap and AUC of 0.68 (CI 0.56–0.81). Cutoff points of 0.2 and 3.03 were used to rule in and rule out AF, respectively. AST/ALT and APRI were not significantly different between patients with and without AF.ConclusionEven though FIB‐4 had satisfactory accuracy in detecting AF in pediatric transplant patients, noninvasive hepatic FSc developed in adults still performed poorly. Our results highlight the need to develop a reliable pediatric FSc.

Goals: To analyze the frequency and trend of liver transplantation (LT) for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis in young adults aged 18 to 40 years and to assess post-LT outcomes in this age group. Background: NASH is currently the fastest-growing indication for LT in US adults. It is believed that NASH is a rare indication for LT among young adults. Study: Using the United Network for Organ Sharing database, we performed a retrospective cohort analysis of all LTs in young adults between 2002 and 2012. Incidence rate ratio was calculated for each indication. Results: A total of 5157 young adults underwent LT over the study period—54% were male, 23% obese. Mean (±SD) age and body mass index were 31.6±6.7 years and 26.3±6.1 kg/m2, respectively. The incidence of LTs performed for NASH cirrhosis increased from 0.53% in 2002 to 4.46% in 2012. NASH was the most rapidly growing indication for LT among all other etiologies with a 14% increment per year (incidence rate ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.20, P<0.001). The 5-year post-LT outcomes were comparable between NASH and non-NASH recipients, but graft survival was lower and retransplantation cumulative rates were higher in NASH recipients compared with those with other metabolic liver diseases (63.5% vs. 81.4%, P=0.003 and 12.7% vs. 4.2%, P=0.046, respectively). Conclusions: NASH is the fastest-growing indication for LT among young US adults aged 18 to 40 years and now accounts for almost 5% of all LTs in this age group.

ABSTRACTBackground:The relations between hepatic steatosis and histological features of hepatocyte injury in children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have yet to be examined. The aims of the present study were to establish associations between steatosis amount, type, and distribution in a well‐characterized group of children with biopsy‐proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Patients and Methods:One hundred eight children with NAFLD seen in 5 centers were studied. Clinical and laboratory data were collected. Hematoxylin‐eosin and Masson trichrome stains were evaluated by 2 expert liver pathologists. Steatosis grade (0–3), type (macrovesicular, microvesicular, or mixed), and zone (1, 3, azonal, or panacinar) were determined. The NAFLD activity score and fibrosis stage were determined.Results:Median patient age was 12 years and median body mass index was 31 kg/m2. Fibrosis was present in 87%. The median NAFLD activity score was 4. Mild, moderate, and severe steatosis were present in 42%, 34%, and 24% of biopsies, respectively. Macrovesicular steatosis was present in 81% and mixed steatosis was present in 19%. Panacinar distribution of steatosis was most frequent (40%), followed by azonal (27%). Steatosis grade positively correlated with portal inflammation (P = 0.018). Azonal distribution positively correlated with presence of hepatocyte ballooning (P = 0.03). Biopsies with mixed steatosis were approximately 20 times more likely to have megamitochondria than those with macrovesicular steatosis alone (95% confidence interval 2.3–204.9). There was no relation between steatosis amount, type, or distribution to fibrosis stage.Conclusions:Specific histological patterns of steatosis in children are associated with histological markers of steatohepatitis. Ballooning and portal inflammation correlated well with features of steatosis.