Toward surface quantification of liver fibrosis progression

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Medical Imaging
• Optical Microscopy

Background:

• Liver biopsy is the standard for monitoring liver fibrosis but is invasive.
• Minimally invasive optical methods are being explored to reduce the need for biopsies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if optical surface scanning of the liver can accurately reflect internal fibrosis progression.
• To determine the correlation between anterior liver surface features and interior fibrosis.

Main Methods:

• Acquired second-harmonic generation and two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy images of liver tissue from a bile duct-ligated rat model.
• Extracted morphology-based features (collagen, bile duct proliferation, hepatocytes) from surface and interior regions.
• Analyzed capsule and subcapsular regions for correlation with fibrosis progression.

Main Results:

• A strong correlation was found between liver fibrosis progression on the anterior surface and in the liver interior.
• This correlation was consistent across both liver lobes where biopsies are typically performed.
• The posterior liver surface showed a weaker correlation with interior fibrosis.

Conclusions:

• Optical scanning of the anterior liver surface can provide information comparable to liver biopsy for fibrosis monitoring.
• This approach offers a potential non-invasive alternative to repeated liver biopsies.
• Minimally invasive optical methods may redefine or eliminate the need for liver biopsy in fibrosis assessment.