Serum aminotransferase levels instead of etiology affects the accuracy of transient elastography in chronic viral hepatitis patients

Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Published Online: 28 Jun 2010
Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation

Hye Jin Cho, 1 Yeon Seok Seo, 1 Kwang Gyun Lee, 1 Jong Jin Hyun, 1 Hyonggin An, 2 Bora Keum, 1 Ji Hoon Kim, 1 Hyung Joon Yim, 1 Yoon Tae Jeen, 1 Hong Sik Lee, 1 Hoon Jai Chun, 1 Soon Ho Um, 1 Chang Duck Kim, 1 Ho Sang Ryu 1

Department of Internal Medicine 1 and Department of Biostatistics, 2 Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence to Yeon Seok Seo
Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1, 5-Ga, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, Korea (136-705)
Tel: 82-2-920-6608 / FAX: 82-2-953-1943
e-mail: drseo@korea.ac.kr

This is an Accepted Article that has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, but has yet to undergo copy-editing and proof correction. Please cite this article as an "Accepted Article"; doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2010.06419.x

KEYWORDS
FibroScan • liver stiffness • alanine aminotransferase • necroinflammation

ABSTRACT

Background: It is still uncertain whether the accuracy of transient elastography (TE) in predicting the fibrosis stage is similar in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This study was performed to evaluate whether the underlying cause of chronic viral hepatitis affects the predictive accuracy of TE. Methods: Patients with CHB or CHC who were admitted for a liver biopsy were enrolled. Patients underwent TE and laboratory tests on the same day as the liver biopsy. The predictive accuracy was analyzed by comparing the areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUCs). Results: Two-hundred seven patients were enrolled, comprising 121 CHB patients and 86 CHC patients). The patients were aged 44 ± 14 years, and 121 (58.5%) of them were men. AUCs for predicting significant fibrosis were significantly lower in CHB patients than in CHC patients (P = 0.043). The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level was associated with overestimation and underestimation of the fibrosis stage, while the cause of chronic hepatitis was not. AUCs for predicting significant fibrosis were significantly lower in patients with ALT levels >70 IU/L (AUC, 0.830; 95% CI, 0.742-0.898) than in patients with ALT levels ≤70 IU/L (0.944; 0.882-0.979; P= 0.015). Conclusions: Although the predictive accuracy of TE in predicting significant fibrosis differed significantly with the cause of chronic hepatitis, this difference was due to the degree of serum ALT levels rather than to the cause of hepatitis itself. Avoiding performing TE in patients with elevated ALT levels is recommended to guarantee the predictive accuracy of TE.

Received date: 06-Apr-2010
Accepted date: 07-Jun-2010

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)
10.1111/j.1440-1746.2010.06419.x About DOI
 
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