Role of fibroscan and APRI in detection of liver fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Prevalence of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in Turner syndrome: A prospective case-control study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Abnormal liver chemistries are common in Turner syndrome (TS). Guidelines suggest that TS patients undergo annual screening of liver enzymes, but the role of non-invasive screening for steatosis and fibrosis is not clearly defined. We compared the prevalence of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis among TS patients to healthy controls using ultrasound with shear-wave elastography (SWE) and assessed for risk factors associated with steatosis and fibrosis in TS.

METHODS

Prospective case-control study of TS versus control patients from 2019 to 2021. All patients underwent abdominal ultrasound with doppler and SWE to assess hepatic fibrosis and steatosis. Risk factors were compared between TS and controls, as well as within the TS group.

RESULTS

A total of 55 TS and 50 control patients were included. Mean age was 23.6 years vs. 24.6 years in the control group (p = .75). TS patients had significantly more steatosis (65% vs. 12%, stage 1 vs. 0, p < .0001) and fibrosis (39% vs. 2%, average Metavir F2 vs. F0, p < .00001) than controls. These findings remained significant after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) (p < .01). GGT is more sensitive than AST or ALT in identifying these changes.

CONCLUSION

TS is associated with an increased prevalence of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis compared to healthy controls. Our findings suggest that serum GGT and ultrasound with SWE may help identify TS patients with liver disease. Early risk factor mitigation including timely oestrogen replacement, weight control, normalization of lipids and promoting multidisciplinary collaboration should be encouraged.

Evaluating the non-invasive tools for assessment of liver fibrosis in children with intrahepatic cholestasis prior to partial biliary diversion: tertiary-center experience

Background

The liver biopsy is an essential element of evaluating progression of liver disease in children with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) and Allagille Syndrome (AGS). Several noninvasive techniques, including radiological imaging and blood biomarkers assay, can be used to evaluate liver stiffness.

Objectives

To identify whether liver Transient elastography (FibroScan) and AST/PLT Ratio Index (APRI) could be reliable tools to assess the degree of fibrosis prior to partial biliary diversion (PBD).

Methods

A prospective cohort in which all patients with PFIC and AGS who underwent PBD from July 2019 to July 2021 were included. Preoperative liver functions, pelvic-abdominal ultrasonography and FibroScan assessments were performed while intraoperative liver biopsy was obtained.

Results

Eight patients with chronic cholestatic liver disease who were candidates for PBD due to intractable pruritus were enrolled, including PFIC (n = 6; 75%), and AGS (n = 2; 25%). The liver FibroScan results were similar to the liver biopsy histopathological assessment in 87.5% of cases. APRI ranged from 0.1 to 3.2 (median = 1.2). In four cases (50%), APRI was consistent with histological evaluation of liver samples. The FibroScan results were in concordance with APRI results in three patients (37.5%).

Conclusion

The current cohort demonstrated that fibroScan was consistent with histopathology in 87.5% of patients, highlighting its value in determining the degree of liver fibrosis prior to surgery, whereas the APRI was only consistent with histopathology in half of cases.

Relation of Liver Siderosis to Liver Fibrosis in Hemodialysis Patients With Severe Hyperferritinemia Secondary to High Doses of Intravenous Iron Supplementation

OBJECTIVE

Aggressive iron substitution in hemodialysis (HD) patients leads to iron overload. The association between liver siderosis and fibrosis is still debatable. We studied the association of liver siderosis with liver fibrosis in HD patients. Furthermore, we studied the performance of liver stiffness measurements (LSMs) in identifying advanced liver fibrosis. We investigated the performance of biochemical indicators of iron status in identifying advanced liver fibrosis.

METHODS

Fifty-five HD patients (average HD duration 6 ± 2 years) with hyperferritinemia secondary to intravenous iron supplementation (weakly iron dose 252.7 ± 63 mg; median blood transfusions 3 [2-5]) were recruited. The liver fibrosis grade was determined with Fibroscan, aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and Fib-4 index. Liver iron concentration (LIC) was estimated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Iron parameters and liver function biochemical indicators were also assessed.

RESULTS

The median serum ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) were 3531 μg/L and 77%, respectively. 34.5%, 20%, and 45.5% of the patients showed mild, moderate, or severe liver siderosis, respectively. All patients with severe liver siderosis showed advanced liver fibrosis. Patients with severe liver siderosis and advanced liver stiffness showed higher serum iron, TSAT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum bilirubin, APRI, and Fib-4 index scores than those with mild liver siderosis. Serum iron and TSAT showed good utility in identifying advanced liver fibrosis determined with Fibroscan, APRI, and Fib-4 index. Liver stiffness exhibited good utility in identifying advanced liver fibrosis diagnosed with APRI and Fib-4 index.

CONCLUSIONS

High weekly intravenous iron dose associated with severe hyperferritinemia, high serum iron, and TSAT might lead to severe liver siderosis and concomitant liver fibrosis in HD patients. Serum iron, TSAT, Fibroscan, Fib-4, and APRI scores might offer noninvasive tools for identifying advanced liver fibrosis in those patients.

Evaluation of hepatosteatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

The current study aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatic steatosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and determine the possible risk factors associated with its presence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 255 adult CHB patients visiting an infectious disease outpatient clinic. Patients with hepatitis B surface antigen positivity for >6 months and those who did not receive antiviral therapy were included in the study. The presence and stage of hepatic steatosis were determined through hepatobiliary ultrasonography.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 40.6 ± 12.7 years. Hepatic steatosis was detected in 44.4 % of the patients through ultrasound imaging. Our findings showed that the detected steatosis prevalence in our patients with CHB was significantly higher compared to the highest prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis found in the general Turkish population (19.9 %) [RR 2.23 (1.75-2.86), p < 0.001]. CHB patients with steatosis had significantly higher age, triglyceride, and gamma-glutamyl transferase levels than those without steatosis (p < 0.05). No significant association was found between the presence of steatosis, sex, liver function test results, and platelet, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, alpha fetoprotein, or HBV-DNA levels. No significant relationship was found between aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/platelet ratio index (APRI) and steatosis was examined (p > 0.05). Post-hoc analysis showed a significant relationship between HBV-DNA levels and ALT, AST, and APRI scores.

CONCLUSION

Our data showed that hepatic steatosis is more common in CHB patients than in the general population. Older age and high triglyceride levels increased the risk of hepatic steatosis in CHB patients, consequently increasing GGT levels, which are indicative of liver damage, in these patients.

The Role of Aspartate Transaminase to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) for the Prediction of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in Severely Obese Children and Adolescents

The aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI) has been proposed as an easy-to-use biochemical marker in obese adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatotic hepatitis (NASH). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical and predictive value of APRI in a paediatric obese population. Seven hundred fifty-seven obese children and adolescents (BMI standard deviation score, SDS: >2.0; age range: 10–18.5 years), not consuming alcohol and without hepatitis B or C, were recruited after having been screened for NAFLD by ultrasonography. A series of demographic, biochemical and clinical parameters was compared between the two subgroups (with or without NAFLD); the same parameters were correlated with APRI; and finally, univariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the predictors of NAFLD. NAFLD was diagnosed in about 39% of the entire paediatric population, predominantly in males and in subjects suffering from metabolic syndrome. APRI was correlated with the waist circumference (WC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), uric acid, total bilirubin, C reactive protein (CRP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Furthermore, APRI was higher in males than females, but independent from steatosis severity and metabolic syndrome. With the univariable analysis, the BMI SDS, triglycerides (TG), insulin, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), APRI, uric acid and metabolic syndrome were positive predictors of NAFLD, with female sex being negative predictor. At multivariable analysis; however, only BMI SDS, TG, HOMA-IR and APRI were positive predictors of NAFLD, with female sex being a negative predictor. The accuracy of APRI as a biochemical marker of NAFLD was about 60%.In conclusion, in a large (Italian) paediatric obese population, parameters, such as BMI SDS, TG, HOMA-IR and APRI, were positive predictors of NAFLD, with female sex being a negative predictor and most of the prediction explained by APRI. Nevertheless, APRI appears to be a simple biochemical marker of liver injury rather than of NAFLD/NASH and, moreover, is endowed with a limited accuracy for the prediction/diagnosis of NAFLD.

Effect of Candesartan and Ramipril on Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Viral Infection: A Randomized Controlled Prospective Study

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the effects of candesartan and ramipril on liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: This randomized controlled prospective study involved 64 patients with chronic hepatitis C and liver fibrosis. Participants were randomized into 3 groups: group I (control group; n = 21), members of which received traditional therapy only; group 2 (ramipril group; n = 21), members of which received traditional therapy plus 1.25 mg/d oral ramipril; and group 3 (candesartan group; n = 22), members of which received traditional therapy plus 8 mg/d oral candesartan. Patients were assessed at baseline and 6 months after intervention through measuring of liver stiffness (Fibro-Scan; Echosens, Paris, France); evaluation of the serum levels of hyaluronic acid and transforming growth factor beta-1; and calculation of indices of liver fibrosis, including fibrosis index based on the 4 factors and aspartate transaminase-to-platelet-ratio index. Data were analyzed using paired t test and 1-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's honest significant difference test for multiple pairwise comparisons. Results: At baseline, the 3 study groups were statistically similar in demographic and laboratory data. After treatment, the 3 study groups showed significant decrease in liver stiffness, serum levels of hyaluronic acid and transforming growth factor beta-1, and indices of liver fibrosis compared with baseline data (P < 0.001). Six months after treatment, patients taking ramipril and candesartan showed significant improvement in all measured parameters compared with the control group. Additionally, the candesartan-treated group showed significant decrease in liver stiffness, biomarkers, and indices of liver fibrosis compared with ramipril recipients. Conclusions: The administration of ramipril and candesartan in patients with chronic hepatitis C with hepatic fibrosis was well tolerated and effective in improving liver fibrosis. angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1) antagonist candesartan maintained antifibrotic effects more effectively than ramipril and may represent a safe and effective therapeutic strategy for liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03770936. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2022; 83:XXX-XXX) © 2022 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.

The leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: A proof-of-concept, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with fat accumulation in the liver which can progress into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). There is no specific treatment strategy for NASH. In this context, this study aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of montelukast in the treatment of patients with NASH. In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, 52 overweight/obese patients with NASH were randomized into group 1 (n = 26) which received montelukast 10 mg tablets once daily and group 2 (n = 26) which received placebo tablets once daily for 12 weeks. The fibro-scan was used to assess liver stiffness as a primary outcome at baseline and 12 weeks post-treatment. Furthermore, patients were assessed for biochemical analysis of liver aminotransferases, metabolic parameters, TNF-α, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), liver fibrosis biomarkers including hyaluronic acid (HA) and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1). Beck depression inventory questionnaire was used to report depressive symptoms. Data were statistically analyzed by paired and unpaired student's t-test, and Chi-square test. A total number of 44 patients completed the study. The two groups were statistically similar at baseline. After treatment and as compared to baseline data and placebo, montelukast showed a statistically significant improvement in liver stiffness, liver enzymes, metabolic parameters (except LDL-C), TNF-α, 8-OHdG, and liver fibrosis biomarkers (HA and TGF-β1). Furthermore, montelukast was well tolerated and didn't provoke depression. In this proof-of-concept study, treatment with montelukast may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis secondary to its efficacy and safety. Clinicaltrial.gov ID: NCT04080947.

Evaluation of red cell distribution width to platelet ratio as a novel non-invasive index for predicting hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Assessing the extent of fibrosis is an essential part of therapeutic decisions in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Liver biopsies are the "gold standard" for evaluating liver fibrosis but have many limitations. Thus, noninvasive predictors of fibrosis have been developed. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of red cell distribution width (RDW) to platelet ratio as a simple noninvasive method for predicting the hepatic fibrosis stage in patients with CHC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 197 Egyptian patients with CHC. A routine pretreatment reference needle liver biopsy was performed. Fib-4, transient elastography (TE) by Fibroscan, AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), and RDW to platelet ratio (RPR) were measured. Predictors of significant fibrosis (Metavir score ≥ F2) and advanced fibrosis (Metavir score ≥ F3) were identified.

RESULTS

Fib-4, TE, APRI, and RPR values differed significantly when comparing different stages of fibrosis (p < 0.01). Fib-4, TE, APRI, and RPR were reliable diagnostic tools at cutoff values of 1.17, 7.75, 0.18, and 0.07, respectively, for predicting significant fibrosis and cutoff values of 1.99, 8, 1.77, and 0.08, respectively, for predicting advanced fibrosis. Using logistic regression analysis, TE was identified as an independent predictor associated with significant and advanced fibrosis. Fib-4 was significantly associated with advanced fibrosis only.

CONCLUSION

The use of Fib-4, TE, APRI, and RPR measurements may decrease the need for liver biopsies for predicting significant and advanced fibrosis. RPR showed fair sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and overall accuracy for predicting significant fibrosis in patients with CHC.

2D shear wave elastography (SWE) performance versus vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE/fibroscan) in the assessment of liver stiffness in chronic hepatitis

Background

The assessment of liver stiffness and the degree of fibrosis are important factors affecting the management strategy. Multiple non-invasive tools are now available to offer an adequate alternative to biopsy. In this study, we tried to compare the performance of 2D shear wave elastography (SWE) to the transient elastography/fibroscan as a non-invasive tool in the prediction of liver stiffness. This is a prospective study of 215 patients confirmed by serology to have positive virus C or B infection. 2D SWE was done followed by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) known as fibroscan at the same session. Biopsy results were collected.

Results

The mean age was 51.07 years ± 6.07 SD. Five cases were excluded due to insufficient data. Fibroscan failed in 30 cases out of 210 cases (failure rate of 14.3%) compared with only 12 patients (6.7% failure rate) while using SWE. Only 180 patients completed the study to the result analysis. SWE results showed significant agreement to the fibroscan results with 86.7% agreement with a tendency for overestimation of the degree of fibrosis (11.7%). The efficacy of SWE was the highest during the assessment of patients with F0 (98.9%), F1 (97.8%), and F4 (93.3%) respectively and relatively low in F2 (92.8%) and F3 (90.6%).

Conclusion

2D SWE is a relatively recent non-invasive tool in the assessment of liver fibrosis grading which can be used as an alternative to the fibroscan with almost similar diagnostic performance especially when fibroscan is not capable to obtain adequate results such as in obesity and ascites.

Both WHR and FLI as Better Algorithms for Both Lean and Overweight/Obese NAFLD in a Chinese Population

GOALS

To compare current nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related algorithms to find suitable algorithms for NAFLD, especially lean NAFLD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.

BACKGROUND

NAFLD is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the world today. Various algorithms based on obesity indicators, blood lipids, and liver enzymes, etc. have been developed to screen NAFLD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

General, anthropometric and biochemical characteristics were collected. One-way analysis of variance and the χ test were applied to test the differences in continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, adjusted by age, gender, body mass index, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical activities, were used to investigate the associations between NAFLD-related algorithms and NAFLD. The accuracy and cut-off point of NAFLD-related algorithms to detect NAFLD were evaluated by area under the receiver operator characteristic curve and the maximum Youden index analysis, respectively.

RESULTS

In 8 NAFLD-related algorithms, the receiver operator characteristic of fatty liver index (FLI) and waist circumstance-to-height ratio (WHR) for NAFLD were in the whole (0.83 and 0.84), lean (0.74 and 0.74), and overweight/obese (0.71 and 0.72) population, respectively, which were higher than those of other algorithms. The cut-off points of WHR and FLI for NAFLD were different in the overall (0.50 and 20), lean (0.47 and 10), and overweight/obese (0.53 and 45) population.

CONCLUSIONS

WHR and FLI could be the most accurate of 8 algorithms for the noninvasive diagnosis of NAFLD in both lean and overweight/obese population.

Mailed Outreach Invitations Significantly Improve HCC Surveillance Rates in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance is associated with early tumor detection and improved survival in patients with cirrhosis; however, effectiveness is limited by underuse. We compared the effectiveness of mailed outreach and patient navigation strategies to increase HCC surveillance in a racially diverse cohort of patients with cirrhosis. We conducted a pragmatic randomized clinical trial comparing mailed outreach for screening ultrasound (n = 600), mailed outreach plus patient navigation (n = 600), or usual care with visit-based screening (n = 600) among 1800 patients with cirrhosis at a large safety-net health system from December 2014 to March 2017. Patients who did not respond to outreach invitations within 2 weeks received reminder telephone calls. Patient navigation included an assessment of barriers to surveillance and encouragement of surveillance participation. The primary outcome was HCC surveillance (abdominal imaging every 6 months) over an 18-month period. All 1800 patients were included in intention-to-screen analyses. HCC surveillance was performed in 23.3% of outreach/navigation patients, 17.8% of outreach-alone patients, and 7.3% of usual care patients. HCC surveillance was 16.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.0%-20.0%) and 10.5% (95% CI: 6.8%-14.2%) higher in outreach groups than usual care (P < 0.001 for both) and 5.5% (95% CI: 0.9%-10.1%) higher for outreach/navigation than outreach alone (P = 0.02). Both interventions increased HCC surveillance across predefined patient subgroups. The proportion of HCC patients detected at an early stage did not differ between groups; however, a higher proportion of patients with screen-detected HCC across groups had early-stage tumors than those with HCC detected incidentally or symptomatically (83.3% versus 30.8%, P = 0.003). Conclusion: Mailed outreach invitations and navigation significantly increased HCC surveillance versus usual care in patients with cirrhosis.

Non-invasive aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index correlates well with invasive hepatic venous pressure gradient in cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is the best recommended tool to measure portal pressure, but is invasive. HVPG helps in prognosticating cirrhosis and predict its complications. Aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) is a simple non-invasive marker of hepatic fibrosis. We aimed to correlate APRI with HVPG and to determine the usefulness of APRI in predicting complication of cirrhosis.

METHODS

APRI and HVPG were measured in consecutive patients of cirrhosis aged 18 to 70 years. Spearman's rho was used to estimate their correlation; a cut-off value of APRI to predict severe portal hypertension (HVPG > 12 mmHg) was determined.

RESULTS

This study, conducted between August 2011 and December 2014, included 277 patients, median age 51 (range: 16-90) years, 84% males. Etiology of cirrhosis was alcohol in 135 (49%), cryptogenic/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in 104 (38%), viral in 34 (12%), and others in 4 (1%). Median Child-Turcott-Pugh (CTP) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores were 7 (5-11) and 11 (6-33), respectively. Median HVPG was 17.0 (1.5-33) mmHg and median APRI was 1.09 (0.21-12.22). There was positive correlation between APRI and HVPG (Spearman's rho 0.450, p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of APRI for predicting severe portal hypertension was 0.763 (p < 0.01). Youden's index defined the cut-off of APRI for predicting HVPG > 12 mmHg was 0.876 with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of 71%, 78%, 94%, 38%, and 73%, respectively. APRI also correlated well with CTP, variceal size, bleeding status, ascites but not with MELD.

CONCLUSIONS

APRI score of 0.876 has an acceptable accuracy to predict severe portal hypertension (HVPG > 12 mmHg). High APRI also correlated with severity of cirrhosis and its complications. Thus, APRI may be used as a simple, bedside, non-invasive, and inexpensive tool for evaluating portal hypertension and complications of cirrhosis.

Impact of old Schistosomiasis infection on the use of transient elastography (Fibroscan) for staging of fibrosis in chronic HCV patients

BACKGROUND AND AIM

In tropical regions, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) - Schistosomiasis coinfection remains one of the health problems. With the new era of HCV treatment and the variety of methods of assessment of liver fibrosis so we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of FibroScan for staging hepatic fibrosis in HCV-Schistosomiasis coinfected patients.

METHODOLOGY

Three groups of patients were enrolled. Group 1: chronic HCV with out antischistosomal antibody (122 patients), Group 2: chronic HCV with positive antischistosomal antibodies and without periportal tract thickening (122 patients), Group 3: chronic HCV with positive antischistosomal antibodies and ultrasonographic picture of periportal tract thickening (108 patients). Routine laboratory workup, serum Antischistosomal antibody, and Schistosomal antigen in serum were performed. Ultrasound guided liver biopsy with histopathological examination; abdominal ultrasound and fibroscan examination were done for all patients.

RESULTS

The agreement between results of liver biopsy and results of fibroscan in the staging of fibrosis was the best in group 1 (55.7%), Although the agreement was higher among those with no periportal tract thickening (70.7%) and the disagreement was higher among those with positive schistosomal serology (66.5%), yet this relation was not statistically significant. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that disagreement is significantly associated with older age, higher BMI (≥30), and increase in anti Schistosomal antibody titer.

CONCLUSION

Fibroscan is a reliable, non-invasive tool for staging hepatic fibrosis among HCV-schistosomiasis co-infected patients with no effect of the induced periportal tract thickening on the readings. Only higher antischistosomal antibody titres may cause disagreement between liver biopsy and fibroscan.

Liver Fibrosis Linked to Cognitive Performance in HIV and Hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE

Because HIV impairs gut barriers to pathogens, HIV-infected adults may be vulnerable to minimal hepatic encephalopathy in the absence of cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND

Cognitive disorders persist in up to one-half of people living with HIV despite access to combination antiretroviral therapy. Minimal hepatic encephalopathy occurs in cirrhotic patients with or without HIV infection and may be associated with inflammation.

DESIGN/METHODS

A cross-sectional investigation of liver fibrosis severity using the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and neuropsychological testing performance among women from the Women's Interagency HIV Study. A subset underwent liver transient elastography (FibroScan, n = 303).

RESULTS

We evaluated 1479 women [mean (SD) age of 46 (9.3) years]: 770 (52%) only HIV infected, 73 (5%) only hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected, 235 (16%) HIV/HCV coinfected, and 401 (27%) uninfected. Of these, 1221 (83%) exhibited APRI ≤0.5 (no or only mild fibrosis), 206 (14%) exhibited APRI >0.5 and ≤1.5 (moderate fibrosis), and 52 (3%) exhibited APRI >1.5 (severe fibrosis). Having moderate or severe fibrosis (APRI >0.5) was associated with worse performance in learning, executive function, memory, psychomotor speed, fluency, and fine motor skills. In these models that adjusted for fibrosis, smaller associations were found for HIV (learning and memory) and HCV (executive functioning and attention). The severity of fibrosis, measured by FibroScan, was associated with worse performance in attention, executive functioning, and fluency.

CONCLUSIONS

Liver fibrosis had a contribution to cognitive performance independent of HCV and HIV; however, the pattern of neuropsychological deficit associated with fibrosis was not typical of minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

APRI test and hyaluronic acid as non-invasive diagnostic tools for post HCV liver fibrosis: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) accounts for a sizable proportion of chronic liver disease cases and represents the most common indication for liver transplantation. Precise diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis stage is considered a funnel-neck in proper management and follow-up of HCV-infected patients. Given the possible complications of liver biopsy, a non-invasive method for assessing hepatic fibrosis is needed. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of APRI and hyaluronic acid as non-invasive diagnostic assessment tools for post HCV liver fibrosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Systematic literature searching identified studies performed on Egyptian territory to evaluate APRI and hyaluronic acid as non-invasive tests of fibrosis and using liver biopsy as the reference standard. Meta-analysis was performed for areas with an adequate number of publications. Validation of meta- analysis on APRI was done on a subset of 150 treatment-naïve post-hepatitis C patients.

RESULTS

Both APRI and hyaluronic acid have superior predictive power for hepatic cirrhosis (F4) than for significant fibrosis (F2-F3). The pooled estimate for sensitivities and specificities of APRI and hyaluronic acid to diagnose F4 were (84% and 82%) and (83% and 89%) respectively. In the subgroup of treatment naïve post-hepatitis C patients, APRI had higher diagnostic performance to diagnose liver cirrhosis with 93.8% sensitivity and 72.4% specificity (AUC; 0.908, 95%CI; 0.851-0.965, p-value; <0.001) compared to its accuracy to diagnose significant hepatic fibrosis with 65.1% sensitivity and 77.8% (AUC; 0.685, 95% CI; 0.59-0.78, p-value; 0.001).

CONCLUSION

APRI score and hyaluronic acid levels are simple and reliable non-invasive markers to detect advanced fibrosis among post-hepatitis C patients.

Value of FibroScan and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index, alone or in combination, in predicting esophagogastric variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis

AIM

To investigate the value of FibroScan and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), alone or in combination, in predicting the risk of esophagogastric variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis.

METHODS

Two hundred and ten patients with posthepatitic cirrhosis were divided into a non-bleeding group (n = 153) and a bleeding group (n = 57) according to the presence of esophagogastric variceal bleeding or not. FibroScan values (LSM values) and APRI values were obtained within a week and compared between the two groups using t-tests. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to assess the accuracy of LSM alone, APRI alone, and LSM + APRI in predicting the risk of esophagogastric variceal bleeding.

RESULTS

The LSM values of the patients with and without bleeding were 28.49 kPa ± 9.46 kPa and 22.87 kPa ± 6.95 kPa, respectively, and the APRI values were 2.99 ± 1.11 and 2.13 ± 1.01, respectively, both of which showed a significant difference between the two groups. The AUCs of LSM alone, APRI alone, and LSM + APRI in predicting the risk of bleeding were 0.669, 0.727 and 0.722, respectively, suggesting that APRI alone and LSM + APRI had good diagnostic value in esophagogastric variceal bleeding.

CONCLUSION

APRI alone and FibroScan combined with APRI have good predictive value for the risk of esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Mailed Outreach Program Increases Ultrasound Screening of Patients With Cirrhosis for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Surveillance of patients with cirrhosis increases early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and prolongs survival. However, its effectiveness is limited by underuse, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities and individuals of low socioeconomic status. We compared the effectiveness of mailed outreach strategies, with and without patient navigation, in increasing the numbers of patients with cirrhosis undergoing surveillance for HCC in a racially diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged cohort.

METHODS

We performed a prospective study of patients with documented or suspected cirrhosis at a large safety-net health system from December 2014 through March 2016. Patients were assigned randomly (1:1:1) to groups that received mailed invitations for an ultrasound screening examination (n = 600), mailed invitations for an ultrasound screening examination and patient navigation (barrier assessment and motivational education for patients who declined screening; n = 600), or usual care (visit-based screening; n = 600). Patients who did not respond to outreach invitations within 2 weeks received up to 3 reminder telephone calls. The primary outcome was completion of abdominal imaging within 6 months of randomization.

RESULTS

Baseline characteristics were similar among groups. Cirrhosis was documented, based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, codes, for 79.6% of patients, and suspected, based on noninvasive markers of fibrosis, for 20.4%. In an intent-to-treat analysis, significantly greater proportions of patients who received the mailed invitation and navigation (47.2%) or the mailed invitation alone (44.5%) underwent HCC screening than patients who received usual care (24.3%) (P < .001 for both comparisons). However, screening rates did not differ significantly between outreach the outreach groups (P = .25). The effects of the outreach program were consistent in all subgroups, including Caucasian vs non-Caucasian race, documented vs suspected cirrhosis, Child-Pugh A vs B cirrhosis, and receipt of gastroenterology care.

CONCLUSIONS

In a prospective study, we found outreach strategies to double the percentage of patients with cirrhosis who underwent ultrasound screening for HCC. However, adding patient navigation to telephone reminders provided no significant additional benefit. ClinicalTrials.gov no: NCT02312817.

The impact of human immune deficiency virus and hepatitis C coinfection on white matter microstructural integrity

The purpose of the present study is to examine the integrity of white matter microstructure among individuals coinfected with HIV and HCV using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Twenty-five HIV+ patients, 21 HIV+/HCV+ patients, and 25 HIV- controls were included in this study. All HIV+ individuals were stable on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART; ≥3 months). All participants completed MRI and neuropsychological measures. Clinical variables including liver function, HIV-viral load, and CD4 count were collected from the patient groups. DTI metrics including mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) from five subregions of the corpus callosum were compared across groups. The HIV+/HCV+ group and HIV+ group were similar in terms of HIV clinical variables. None of the participants met criteria for cirrhosis or fibrosis. Within the anterior corpus callosum, significant differences were observed between both HIV+ groups compared to HIV- controls on DTI measures. HIV+ and HIV+/HCV+ groups had significantly lower FA values and higher MD and RD values compared to HIV- controls; however, no differences were present between the HIV+ and HIV+/HCV+ groups. Duration of HIV infection was significantly related to DTI metrics in total corpus callosum FA only, but not other markers of HIV disease burden or neurocognitive function. Both HIV+ and HIV+/HCV+ individuals had significant alterations in white matter integrity within the corpus callosum; however, there was no evidence for an additive effect of HCV coinfection. The association between DTI metrics and duration of HIV infection suggests that HIV may continue to negatively impact white matter integrity even in well-controlled disease.

Incorporation of Noninvasive Measures of Liver Fibrosis Into Clinical Practice: Diagnosis and Prognosis

Noninvasive methods are increasingly used for the assessment of liver fibrosis. Two categories of markers include serum-based markers (biologic properties) or ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging-based techniques that use the principles of elastography (physical properties) to indirectly assess liver fibrosis. Serum markers can be either direct or indirect markers of the fibrosis process. Common elastography-based studies include vibration-controlled transient elastography, point shear wave elastography, and 2-dimensional shear wave elastography and magnetic resonance elastography. A common theme among all techniques is the inability to accurately differentiate between minimal or moderate stages of fibrosis but superior performance in identifying subjects with cirrhosis or normal liver parenchyma. Noninvasive markers may also serve as prognostic tools to course the natural history of chronic liver disease as well as identify cirrhotic patients at highest risk of future decompensation. Further research is needed to identify the role of noninvasive markers in following asymptomatic individuals, especially in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Comparison of noninvasive scores for the detection of advanced fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND

The presence of advanced liver fibrosis portends a poor prognosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of five noninvasive scores [aspartate aminotransferase/platelet ratio (APRI), BARD, FIB-4, NAFLD fibrosis score (NFSA), and FibroMeter] for the assessment of advanced stages of fibrosis (F ≥ 3) in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD.

METHODS

APRI, BARD, FIB-4, NFSA, and FibroMeter scores were determined in 142 patients with NAFLD. The histopathological analysis of liver biopsies was considered the gold standard. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each noninvasive test using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, with a cut-off value of F ≥ 3 for advanced fibrosis. The diagnostic accuracies were assessed by measuring the area under the ROC curve (AUROC). The AUROCs for different noninvasive tests were compared using paired significance tests.

RESULTS

At histopathological examination, 40 patients (28.2%) had a fibrosis stage F0, 50 patients (35.2%) had F1, 22 patients (15.5%) had F2, 20 patients (14.1%) had F3, and 10 patients (7.0%) had F4. The sensitivity of APRI, BARD, FIB-4, NFSA, and FibroMeter scores for advanced fibrosis was 70.0, 73.3, 70.0, 66.7, and 66.7%, respectively, and the specificity was 74.5, 66.4, 71.8, 71.8, and 74.5%, respectively. No significant differences in terms of sensitivity and specificity were evident for the five noninvasive scores. Moreover, the AUROCs did not differ significantly for all scores.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that different noninvasive scores have similar accuracy for the diagnosis of advanced hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD.

Noninvasive scoring algorithm to identify significant liver fibrosis among treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C patients

AIMS

Staging for liver fibrosis is recommended in the management of hepatitis C as an argument for treatment priority. Our aim was to construct a noninvasive algorithm to predict the significant liver fibrosis (SLF) using common biochemical markers and compare it with some existing models.

METHODS

The study group included 104 consecutive cases; SLF was defined as Ishak fibrosis stage greater than 2. The patient population was assigned randomly to the training and the validation groups of 52 cases each. The training group was used to construct the algorithm from parameters with the best predictive value. Each parameter was assigned a score that was added to the noninvasive fibrosis score (NFS). The accuracy of NFS in predicting SLF was tested in the validation group and compared with APRI, FIB4, and Forns models.

RESULTS

Our algorithm used age, alkaline phosphatase, ferritin, APRI, α2 macroglobulin, and insulin and the NFS ranged from -4 to 5. The probability of SLF was 2.6 versus 77.1% in NFS<0 and NFS>0, leaving NFS=0 in a gray zone (29.8% of cases). The area under the receiver operating curve was 0.895 and 0.886, with a specificity, sensitivity, and diagnostic accuracy of 85.1, 92.3, and 87.5% versus 77.8, 100, and 87.9% for the training and the validation group. In comparison, the area under the receiver operating curve for APRI=0.810, FIB4=0.781, and Forns=0.703 with a diagnostic accuracy of 83.9, 72.3, and 62% and gray zone cases in 46.15, 37.5, and 44.2%.

CONCLUSION

We devised an algorithm to calculate the NFS to predict SLF with good accuracy, fewer cases in the gray zone, and a straightforward clinical interpretation. NFS could be used for the initial evaluation of the treatment priority.

Early detection of liver fibrosis in rats using 3-D ultrasound Nakagami imaging: a feasibility evaluation

We investigated the feasibility of using 3-D ultrasound Nakagami imaging to detect the early stages of liver fibrosis in rats. Fibrosis was induced in livers of rats (n = 60) by intraperitoneal injection of 0.5% dimethylnitrosamine (DMN). Group 1 was the control group, and rats in groups 2-6 received DMN injections for 1-5 weeks, respectively. Each rat was sacrificed to perform 3-D ultrasound scanning of the liver in vitro using a single-element transducer of 6.5 MHz. The 3-D raw data acquired at a sampling rate of 50 MHz were used to construct 3-D Nakagami images. The liver specimen was further used for histologic analysis with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining to score the degree of liver fibrosis. The results indicate that the Metavir scores of the hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections in Groups 1-4 were 0 (defined as early liver fibrosis in this study), and those in groups 5 and 6 ranged from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3, respectively. To quantify the degree of early liver fibrosis, the histologic sections with Masson stain were analyzed to calculate the number of fiber-related blue pixels. The number of blue pixels increased from (2.36 ± 0.79) × 10(4) (group 1) to (7.68 ± 2.62) × 10(4) (group 4) after DMN injections for 3 weeks, indicating that early stages of liver fibrosis were successfully induced in rats. The Nakagami parameter increased from 0.36 ± 0.02 (group 1) to 0.55 ± 0.03 (group 4), with increasing numbers of blue pixels in the Masson-stained sections (p-value < 0.05, t-test). We concluded that 3-D Nakagami imaging has potential in the early detection of liver fibrosis in rats and may serve as an image-based pathologic model to visually track fibrosis formation and growth.

Liver fibrosis evaluation by ARFI and APRI in chronic hepatitis C

AIM: To explore the value of liver fibrosis assessment by acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) and the AST/PLT ratio index (APRI) in chronic hepatitis C patients.

METHODS: One hundred and twenty eight patients with chronic hepatitis C were examined using ARFI elastometry and APRI, calculated according to known formulae. The gold standard of liver biopsy was referred; ROC curve analysis was used to assess all ARFI and APRI values. The corresponding cut-off values, sensitivities, and specificities were calculated and compared. In addition, the correlation of liver fibrosis stages in chronic hepatitis C patients with ARFI measurements and APRI were also tested to evaluate significant data.

RESULTS: The values of ARFI in S1-S4 were 1.23 ± 0.34 m/s, 1.48 ± 0.43 m/s, 2.06 ± 0.45 m/s, and 2.30 ± 0.87 m/s. The values of APRI in S1-S4 were 0.31 ± 0.45 m/s, 0.28 ± 0.38 m/s, 0.58 ± 0.59 m/s and 0.65 ± 0.34 m/s. ARFI (r = 0.649, P < 0.05) showed a better correlation with liver fibrosis stages in chronic hepatitis C than APRI (r = 0.478, P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves for ARFI and APRI were 0.775 and 0.721 for stages ≥ S2, 0.901 and 0.787 for stages ≥ S3, and 0.792 and 0.780 for S = 4, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Both ARFI and APRI could evaluate liver fibrosis stages in chronic hepatitis C. ARFI is more accurate than the APRI index.

Overview and recent trends of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in hepatology

A systematic review (SR) is a research methodology that involves a comprehensive search for and analysis of relevant studies on a specific topic. A strict and objective research process is conducted that comprises a systematic and comprehensive literature search in accordance with predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria, and an assessment of the risk of bias of the selected literature. SRs require a multidisciplinary approach that necessitates cooperation with clinical experts, methodologists, other experts, and statisticians. A meta-analysis (MA) is a statistical method of quantitatively synthesizing data, where possible, from the primary literature selected for the SR. Review articles differ from SRs in that they lack a systematic methodology such as a literature search, selection of studies according to strict criteria, assessment of risk bias, and synthesis of the study results. The importance of evidence-based medicine (EBM) in the decision-making for public policy has recently been increasing thanks to the realization that it should be based on scientific research data. SRs and MAs are essential for EBM strategy and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. This review addresses the current trends in SRs and MAs in the field of hepatology via a search of recently published articles in the Cochrane Library and Ovid-MEDLINE.

Noninvasive diagnosis of cirrhosis: A review of different imaging modalities

Progressive hepatic fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis, so its early detection is fundamental. Staging fibrosis is also critical for prognosis and management. The gold standard for these aims is liver biopsy, but it has several drawbacks, as it is invasive, expensive, has poor acceptance, is prone to inter observer variability and sampling errors, has poor repeatability, and has a risk of complications and mortality. Therefore, non-invasive imaging tests have been developed. This review mainly focuses on the role of transient elastography, acoustic radiation force impulse imaging, and magnetic resonance-based methods for the noninvasive diagnosis of cirrhosis.