Early type I collagen deposition is associated with prognosis in biliary atresia

Abstract

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a cholestatic liver disease of children that progresses to hepatic fibrosis. BA is the main indication of pediatric liver transplantation (LTx). Histopathological markers in liver biopsies could be useful for predicting progression to end-stage disease. Objective: To establish histopathological or immunohistochemical markers in liver biopsies of BA patients and correlate those markers with prognosis. Method: Histological analysis of biliary alterations and morphometric assessment of liver fibrosis were performed, in addition to indirect immunofluorescence assays (IF) for type I, III, IV and V collagens in initial and final liver biopsies of 36 patients with BA who underwent Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy (KPE) and LTx in the last 20 years at a single center. Results: Histopathologicalmarkers had no correlation with evolutive time until LTx. The perisinusoidal deposition of type III and V collagens was more prominent in the initial biopsies (p < 0.01), whereas deposition of type I and IV collagens indicated progression (p < 0.01). Patients with large amounts of perisinusoidal type I collagen in the initial biopsies had worse progression time curves until LTx (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Morphometric assessment of perisinusoidal deposition of type I collagen by IF in the initial biopsy can correlate with progression time to LTx in post-surgical BA.