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ABSTRACT: The performance of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) to monitor the changes in the severity of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients on antiviral treatment is uncertain.
We prospectively studied CHB patients undergoing paired liver biopsy and transient elastography before and at week 48 of antiviral treatment. Based on our previously reported LSM algorithm, advanced liver fibrosis (F3-4) could be excluded or confirmed at >90% confidence.
A total of 71 CHB patients were studied. The median alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level decreased from 99I U/l to 33I U/l, and the median LSM decreased from 8.8 kPa to 6.6 kPa, respectively, from baseline to week 48. Overall, 17 and 11 patients had regression and progression of histological fibrosis, respectively. Areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves of the LSM algorithm at baseline and week 48 for advanced fibrosis were 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.90) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.64-0.92), respectively. The sensitivity of LSM algorithm to exclude advanced fibrosis was 100% at baseline and 75% at week 48. The specificity of the LSM algorithm to diagnose advanced fibrosis was 84% at baseline and 91% at week 48. Overall, 11/28 (39%) patients with LSM that decreased by >30%, 28/41 (68%) of patients with LSM that changed within 30% and 1/2 (50%) patients with LSM that increased by >30% had decreased, unchanged and increased histological fibrosis stages, respectively.
LSM could predict advanced fibrosis during antiviral therapy according to the ALT-based algorithm. Decrease in absolute LSM value, which could be related to ALT normalization, was unreliable to indicate regression of liver fibrosis.
Antiviral therapy 01/2011; 16(2):165-72. · 3.16 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We aimed to investigate the relationship between serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and the risk of cirrhosis in a large cohort of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients based on transient elastography.
We prospectively studied treatment-naive HBeAg-negative patients recruited based on territory-wide referrals. We defined possible cirrhosis and probable cirrhosis with two different cutoffs according to the results from a subgroup of patients with histologic proof.
One thousand one hundred ninety-seven patients with successful liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were studied. In the subgroup of 100 patients with liver biopsy, LSM of > or =8.4 kiloPascal (kPa) had a sensitivity of 90% and LSM of > or =13.4 kPa had a specificity of 94% for liver cirrhosis. Possible and probable cirrhosis were defined as a LSM value > or =8.4 kPa and > or =13.4 kPa, and were present in 31% and 11% of the patients, respectively. The risk of cirrhosis was significantly increased when ALT level was >0.5x upper limit of normal (ULN) or serum HBV DNA >4 log(10) copies/mL. Among patients who have ALT < or =0.5 x ULN and HBV DNA < or =4 log(10) copies/mL, 10% (26/264) and 3% (7/264) had possible and probable cirrhosis respectively, which were significantly lower when compared with 34% (329/887, P < 0.001) and 14% (125/887, P < 0.001) of those who had higher ALT and HBV DNA levels.
Liver cirrhosis was common among HBeAg-negative CHB patients. Patients with ALT levels >0.5 x ULN and/or serum HBV DNA >4 log(10) copies/mL have higher risk of cirrhosis and need further assessment for antiviral therapy.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology 12/2008; 103(12):3071-81. · 7.28 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We analyzed the clinical factors associated with advanced liver fibrosis in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.
We prospectively recruited treatment-naive HBeAg-positive patients for liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography. Insignificant and advanced fibrosis was defined as an LSM of 6.0 kPa or less, and greater than 9.0 kPa for patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels less than or equal to the f upper limit of normal (ULN), and 7.5 kPa or less and greater than 9.0 kPa for those with ALT levels between 1 and 5 x ULN, respectively, based on a previous study with histologic validation.
A total of 453 patients were studied. Among 74 patients who also had a liver biopsy, the cut-off levels for advanced fibrosis had 95% specificity. Age and ALT level, but not hepatitis B virus DNA level, were associated independently with LSM. Based on receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, patients older than 35 years had the highest specificity for advanced fibrosis. The risk of advanced fibrosis increased in patients with an ALT level greater than 0.5 x ULN. Among the 47 patients who were older than 35 years with an ALT level of 0.5 x ULN or less, 39 (83%) had an LSM suggestive of insignificant fibrosis, and 1 (2%) had advanced fibrosis. Among the 217 patients who were older than 35 years with an ALT level greater than 0.5 x ULN, 61 (28%) had LSM indicating insignificant fibrosis, and 80 (37%) had advanced fibrosis.
Risk of advanced liver fibrosis increased in HBeAg-positive patients older than 35 years of age with an ALT level greater than 0.5 x ULN.
Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology: the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association 10/2008; 7(2):227-33. · 5.64 Impact Factor
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Grace Lai-Hung Wong,
Vincent Wai-Sun Wong,
Paul Cheung-Lung Choi,
Anthony Wing-Hung Chan,
Richard Hoi-Leong Chum,
Henry Kai-Wing Chan,
Kenneth Ka-Ki Lau,
Angel Mei-Ling Chim, Karen Ka-Lam Yiu,
Francis Ka-Leung Chan,
Joseph Jao-Yao Sung,
Henry Lik-Yuen Chan
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ABSTRACT: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) with transient elastography (Fibroscan) can accurately diagnose advanced liver fibrosis, but its performance in early liver fibrosis is less satisfactory. We aimed to study the diagnostic performance of LSM for histologic bridging fibrosis and cirrhosis in various chronic liver diseases and to investigate the effects of liver fibrosis distribution on LSM.
We prospectively studied consecutive patients with chronic liver diseases undergoing liver biopsy and transient elastography examinations. Morphometric analysis was performed to evaluate the distribution of liver fibrosis.
One hundred thirty-three patients (50% chronic hepatitis B, 14% chronic hepatitis C, and 24% nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) were studied. Morphometric analysis revealed a higher correlation between LSM and pericellular fibrosis (r = 0.43) than periportal (r = 0.21) or perivenular fibrosis (r = 0.25). Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of LSM for bridging fibrosis was 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.93) and for cirrhosis was 0.89 (95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.94). Higher LSM was associated with higher serum ALT level. Patients with the same fibrosis staging but higher ALT levels tend to have higher LSM. The area under ROC curve of LSM for cirrhosis was lower among patients who had ALT above the upper limit of normal (0.86) as compared with that of patients with normal ALT levels (0.93, P = .03).
Transient elastography can diagnose severe fibrosis because of its good correlation with pericellular fibrosis. Transient elastography might overestimate liver fibrosis when ALT is elevated.
Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology: the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association 05/2008; 6(9):1027-35. · 5.64 Impact Factor
