Evaluation of the histological variability of core and wedge biopsies in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in bariatric surgical patients

Background Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for characterizing and evaluating treatment response in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Liver heterogeneity and sampling variability can affect the reliability of results. This study aimed to compare histological variability of intraoperative wedge and core liver biopsies from different lobes in bariatric patients, to better inform surgeons on biopsy method and guide interpretation of results. Methods We prospectively recruited bariatric surgical patients. Intraoperative core biopsies were taken from the left and right lobe, with a wedge biopsy taken from the left. All biopsies were graded by a specialist liver pathologist, blinded to clinical details and biopsy site. Concordance of histological findings between sites was evaluated. Results There were 91 participants (72.2% female), mean age 46.8 +/- 12.0 years, body mass index 45.9 +/- 9.4 kg/m(2). There was no significant pattern for up- or down-grading disease dependent on biopsy technique. Moderate to strong agreement was seen in the presence of NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH,kappa = 0.609-0.865,p < 0.001) between biopsy sites. Individual components (steatosis, inflammation, ballooning) showed weaker agreement (kappa = 0.386-0.656,p < 0.01). Fibrosis showed particularly poor agreement (kappa = 0.223-0.496,p < 0.01). Detection of pathology improved with a combination of biopsy techniques, compared to a single biopsy method. Conclusion Overall diagnosis of NAFLD or NASH shows good agreement between biopsy sites, but individual components, particularly fibrosis stage, vary significantly. Clinicians should consider biopsies from varied sites, to better assess liver disease severity. These data have important implications in fibrosis assessment of NAFLD and are relevant in the interpretation of histological efficacy of investigational pharmacotherapies.

Automated summary

Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for characterizing and evaluating treatment response in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but there is variability in individual components such as fibrosis stage between different biopsy sites. Clinicians should consider biopsies from varied sites to better assess liver disease severity, as a combination of biopsy techniques improves the detection of pathology.