Diagnosis of adult patients with intestinal failure-associated liver disease: A descriptive cross-sectional study

No consensus exists regarding diagnostic tools for adult intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). This study aimed to determine correlations between histological pathology, noninvasive diagnostic tools, and IFALD severity. Secondary objectives included correlations between noninvasive diagnostic tools in adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of IFALD.

This was a multicenter, cross-sectional retrospective study conducted across six UK IF units. All patients judged to have IFALD were included. Included data were as follows: demographics, IF pathophysiological mechanism, radiological findings, blood results, elastography, and histological findings. Fisher exact tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman correlations were performed.

Of 745 patients, 234 patients with IFALD were included (prevalence: 31.4%; median age: 56 years), with 95.3% meeting European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism criteria. Three fibrosis scores were used in 51 liver biopsies (Brunt et al.: 5 [9.8%]; Ishak et al.: 10 [19.6%]; and Metavir et al.: 10 [19.6%]). Elastography was performed in 57 patients (24.4%), with a median stiffness of 7.35 kPa. Histology grade inversely correlated with liver stiffness (n = 23; P = 0.01). No correlation was found between histology and imaging (n = 34; P = 0.22; chi-squared). Serum platelet count and enhanced liver fibrosis correlated with imaging (steatosis vs fibrosis/cirrhosis) (n = 85 (P < 0.01) and n = 12 (P = 0.05), respectively; Spearman). AST:ALT and FIB-4 scores correlated with liver stiffness at a threshold of 12 kPa (Spearman correlation coefficient: 0.943 [P < 0.01; n = 6]; Spearman correlation coefficient: 0.417 [P = 0.02; n = 31]; respectively).

Variations in the use and performance of noninvasive tools and histological reporting in adult IFALD were found. Prospective studies of noninvasive tools and expert histological consensus on reporting practice are justified.