Isabelle Archambeaud

Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in Caucasian patients with non‐viral cirrhosis: the importance of prior obesity

In patients with cirrhosis, the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) depends upon age, gender and the etiology of liver disease. Few studies are available in Caucasian patients with alcoholic or metabolic cirrhosis without viral hepatitis.

Screening of esophageal varices by esophageal capsule endoscopy: results of a French multicenter prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM Esophageal video capsule endoscopy (ECE) is a new technique that allows examination of the esophagus using a noninvasive approach. The aim of this study was to compare ECE with esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for the diagnosis of esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 330 patients with cirrhosis and with no known esophageal varices were prospectively enrolled. Patients underwent ECE first, followed by EGD (gold standard). The endoscopists who performed EGD were blind to the ECE result. Patient satisfaction was assessed using a visual analog scale (maximum score 100). RESULTS A total of 30 patients were excluded from the analysis because they did not undergo any endoscopic examinations. Patients (mean age 56 years; 216 male) had mainly alcoholic (45 %) or viral (27 %) cirrhosis. The diagnostic indices of ECE to diagnose and correctly stage esophageal varices were: sensitivity 76 % and 64 %, specificity 91 % and 93 %, positive predictive value 88 % and 88 %, and negative predictive value 81 % and 78 %, respectively. ECE patient satisfaction scored significantly higher than EGD (87 ± 22 vs. 58 ± 35; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS ECE was well tolerated and safe in patients with liver cirrhosis and suspicion of portal hypertension. The sensitivity of ECE is not currently sufficient to replace EGD as a first exploration in these patients. However, due to its excellent specificity and positive predictive value, ECE may have a role in cases of refusal or contraindication to EGD. ECE might also improve compliance to endoscopic follow-up and aid important therapeutic decision making in the prophylaxis of bleeding. TRIAL REGISTRATION EudraCT (ID RCB 2009-A00532-55) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00941421).

P1288 : Budd chiari syndrome (BCS) in France from a large national cohort

increased in recent years. This increase may be due to factors such as high HCV viral load in blood and semen, sex with risk of mucosal damage, a higher number of sexual partners, presence of concomitant ulcerative sexually transmitted diseases and the use of recreational drugs. The aim of our study was to investigate the dynamics of HCV transmission in an outbreak of acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected MSM in Barcelona. Methods: Between 2008 and 2013, 113 cases of acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected MSM were diagnosed in the Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona. Phylogenetic analysis of the HCV NS5B gene was performed in a total of 70 patients. Viral RNA was extracted from serum samples collected from each patient at the time of diagnosis. Massive sequencing was performed using the Roche 454 GS Junior platform. To define possible transmission networks, phylogenetic trees and multidimensional scaling maps were constructed from genetic distance matrices (Da). Results: At the time of diagnosis of acute hepatitis C, 53 of the 70 (76%) patients included in the study were receiving antiretroviral therapy. HIV viral load was undetectable in 48 patients (69%) and the mean CD4 cell count was 923 cells /ul. HCV viral load was 6.37 log IU/mL (range 3.73–6.99). Thirty-five of 53 (66%) patients treated with pegIFN and ribavirin achieved a sustained virological response. The prevalence of HCV genotypes was: 4d 51% (n =36), 1a 40% (n =28), 1b 7% (n =5) and 3a 1% (n =1). Phylogenetic analysis showed the existence of at least 13 monophyletic groups: 5 of genotype 1a, 2 of genotype 1b and 6 genotype 4d. Molecular analysis showed that the genetic distances between genotype 4d viruses (Da 5.42) were significantly lower than those of the subtypes 1a (Da 18.50, p < 2.2×10−16) and 1b (Da 15.25, p < 1.1×10−6). This result may suggest the existence of a single source of infection for genotype 4d and different sources for subtypes 1a and 1b. Conclusions: HCV infection spreads rapidly among HIV-infected MSM through a local network in Barcelona. The implementation of public health campaigns and preventive measures, as well as treatment interventions with the new direct-acting antivirals will allow the development of strategies to reduce the HCV transmission of HCV within these high-risk groups.

Risk factors and outcomes of infected pancreatic necrosis: Retrospective cohort of 148 patients admitted to the ICU for acute pancreatitis:

Objective The primary objective of this article is to identify risk factors for infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for severe acute pancreatitis. We also described outcomes of IPN. Background Acute pancreatitis is common and associated with multiple, potentially life-threatening complications. Over the last decade, minimally invasive procedures have been developed to treat IPN. Methods We retrospectively studied consecutive patients admitted for severe acute pancreatitis to the ICUs of the Nantes University Hospital in France, between 2012 and 2015. Logistic regression was used to evaluate potential associations linking IPN to baseline patient characteristics and outcomes. Results Of the 148 included patients, 26 (17.6%) died. IPN developed in 62 (43%) patients and consistently required radiological, endoscopic, and/or surgical intervention. By multivariate analysis, factors associated with IPN were number of organ failure (OF) (for ≥ 3: OR, 28.67 (6.23–131.96), p < 0.001) and portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis (OR, 8.16 (3.06–21.76)). Conclusion IPN occurred in nearly half our ICU patients with acute pancreatitis and consistently required interventional therapy. Number of OFs and portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis were significantly associated with IPN. Early management of OF may reduce IPN incidence, and management of portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis should be investigated.

Immune Alterations in Patients With Type 1 Autoimmune Hepatitis Persist Upon Standard Immunosuppressive Treatment

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare disease characterized by an immune attack of the liver. This study consists of a comprehensive analysis of immune alterations related to AIH at diagnosis, and during remission phase under treatment. A total of 37 major lymphocyte populations were analyzed from the peripheral blood of new‐onset AIH patients (AIHn; n = 14), AIH patients with controlled disease (n = 11), and healthy subjects (n = 14). Liver biopsy analyses were performed to complete the blood phenotypic analysis. Four blood lymphocyte populations were significantly altered in AIHn patients at diagnosis compared with healthy subjects. Levels of mucosal‐associated invariant T cells (MAIT), Type 1/Type 17 helper (Th1/ Th17) cells, clusters of differentiation (CD4) T cells, and invariant natural killer T cells were decreased, whereas MAIT granzyme B+ (GrB) cells were increased. A trend toward an increase of CD8+CD161+GrB+ cells was also observed. These alterations were not restored with standard immunosuppressive treatments. In the liver of AIHn patients, CD4, forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), and MAIT cell markers were enriched in the portal tract, and CD8, CD161, and GrB markers were enriched in the hepatic lobule. During remission, the hepatic lobule was clear of infiltrating T cells, but residual CD4 and MAIT cells were found in the portal tract, where Foxp3 was decreased, as previously described. In vitro, MAIT cells were functionally altered in AIH patients. Ex vivo MAIT cell activity (GrB) was linked to severe fibrosis. Conclusion: Our work proposes a global view of the lymphocyte alterations from diagnosis to remission phase in AIH patients. The absence of blood immune homeostasis restoration and the persistence of a CD4 infiltrate in the liver under standard immunosuppression could form the basis of the high risk of relapse observed in AIH. (Hepatology Communications 2018; 00:000‐000)

The epidemiology of Budd–Chiari syndrome in France

INTRODUCTION Epidemiological data is lacking on primary Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) in France. METHODS Two approaches were used: (1) A nationwide survey in specialized liver units for French adults. (2) A query of the French database of discharge diagnoses screening to identify incident cases in adults. BCS associated with cancer, alcoholic/viral cirrhosis, or occurring after liver transplantation were classified as secondary. RESULTS Approach (1) 178 primary BCS were identified (prevalence 4.04 per million inhabitants (pmi)), of which 30 were incident (incidence 0.68 pmi). Mean age was 40 ± 14 yrs. Risk factors included myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) (48%), oral contraceptives (35%) and factor V Leiden (16%). None were identified in 21% of patients, ≥2 risk factors in 25%. BMI was higher in the group without any risk factor (25.7 kg/m2 vs 23.7 kg/m2, p < 0.001). Approach (2) 110 incident primary BCS were admitted to French hospitals (incidence 2.17 pmi). MPN was less common (30%) and inflammatory local factors predominated (39%). CONCLUSION The entity of primary BCS as recorded in French liver units is 3 times less common than the entity recorded as nonmalignant hepatic vein obstruction in the hospital discharge database. The former entity is mostly related to MPN whereas the latter with abdominal inflammatory diseases.