Non-invasive liver fibrosis assessment correlates with collagen and elastic fiber quantity in patients with hepatitis C virus infection
Yutaka Yasui
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
These authors contributed equally to this study.Search for more papers by this authorTokiya Abe
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
These authors contributed equally to this study.Search for more papers by this authorMasayuki Kurosaki
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKotaro Matsunaga
Department of Pathology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine, Saint Marianna University, Kawasaki, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorMayu Higuchi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorNobuharu Tamaki
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKeiya Watakabe
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorMao Okada
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorWan Wang
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorTakao Shimizu
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKenta Takaura
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorYohei Masugi
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorHiroyuki Nakanishi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKaoru Tsuchiya
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorYuka Takahashi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorJun Itakura
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorUrara Sakurai
Department of Pathology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorAkinori Hashiguchi
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Michiie Sakamoto
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Correspondence: Professor Namiki Izumi, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Musashino Red Cross Hospital 1-26-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8610, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Professor Michiie Sakamoto, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Namiki Izumi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Correspondence: Professor Namiki Izumi, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Musashino Red Cross Hospital 1-26-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8610, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Professor Michiie Sakamoto, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorYutaka Yasui
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
These authors contributed equally to this study.Search for more papers by this authorTokiya Abe
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
These authors contributed equally to this study.Search for more papers by this authorMasayuki Kurosaki
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKotaro Matsunaga
Department of Pathology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine, Saint Marianna University, Kawasaki, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorMayu Higuchi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorNobuharu Tamaki
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKeiya Watakabe
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorMao Okada
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorWan Wang
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorTakao Shimizu
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKenta Takaura
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorYohei Masugi
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorHiroyuki Nakanishi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorKaoru Tsuchiya
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorYuka Takahashi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorJun Itakura
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorUrara Sakurai
Department of Pathology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorAkinori Hashiguchi
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Michiie Sakamoto
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Correspondence: Professor Namiki Izumi, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Musashino Red Cross Hospital 1-26-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8610, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Professor Michiie Sakamoto, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Namiki Izumi
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Correspondence: Professor Namiki Izumi, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Musashino Red Cross Hospital 1-26-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8610, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Professor Michiie Sakamoto, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Aim
Elastic fiber deposition is a cause of irreversibility of liver fibrosis. However, to date, its relevance to clinical features has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to clarify the correlation between non-invasive markers of fibrosis and fiber quantity, including elastic fiber, obtained from computational analysis.
Methods
This retrospective study included 270 patients evaluated by non-invasive liver fibrosis assessment prior to liver biopsy. Of these patients, 95 underwent magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and 244 were assessed with Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA+-M2BP). Using whole-slide imaging of Elastica van Gieson-stained liver biopsy sections, the quantity of collagen, elastin, and total fiber (elastin + collagen) was determined.
Results
The total fiber quantity showed significant linear correlation with fibrosis stage F0–F4. Collagen fiber quantity increased from stage F0 to F4, whereas elastic fiber quantity increased significantly only from stage F2 to F3. Spearman's rank correlation test revealed that non-invasive liver fibrosis assessment significantly correlates with each fiber quantity, including correlation between total fiber quantity and the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index (r = 0.361, P < 0.001), WFA+-M2BP values (r = 0.404, P < 0.001), and liver stiffness value by MRE (r = 0.615, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses revealed that the area under ROC for predicting higher elastic fiber (>3.6%) is 0.731 by FIB-4 index, 0.716 by WFA+-M2BP, and 0.822 by liver stiffness by MRE.
Conclusion
Liver fibrosis correlates with fiber quantity through non-invasive assessment regardless of fiber type, including elastic fiber. Moreover, MRE is useful for predicting high amounts of elastic fiber.
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