High prevalence of small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis among patients with overlapping autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis

BackgroundOverlap syndrome is a term used for overlapping features of autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis or primary biliary cirrhosis and for autoimmune cholangitis. We describe a high prevalence of small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis among patients with overlapping autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.MethodsWe sought to retrieve all patients with overlap syndrome between primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis in six university hospitals in Sweden. The revised autoimmune hepatitis scoring system proposed by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group was used to establish the diagnosis autoimmune hepatitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and/or magnetic resonance cholangiography were used to separate the primary sclerosing cholangitis cases diagnosed through liver biopsy into small and large primary sclerosing cholangitis. A histologocial diagnosis compatible with both autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis was required for inclusion.Results26 patients fulfilled our criteria for histological overlap of autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, 7 (27%) of which had small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis. The reliability of the diagnosis small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis was supported by a very close similarity between small and large duct primary sclerosing cholangitis patients in clinical and laboratory data, and by a poor response to immunosuppressive therapy in the small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis patients. Patients with large duct overlap syndrome had a good response to immunosuppressive therapy. In both groups, our limited experience from ursodeoxycholic acid was largely poor.ConclusionsSmall duct primary sclerosing cholangitis is prevalent in the overlap syndrome between autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.     

Patients with small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis have a favourable long term prognosis

BACKGROUND: Patients with cholestatic liver function tests and histological features of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) but a normal cholangiogram are considered to have small duct PSC. The natural history of this condition is unknown. METHODS: Thirty three patients with small duct PSC were identified among patients admitted for diagnostic workup of cholestatic liver function tests in one centre in the UK (Oxford) and one centre in Norway (Oslo). A total of 260 patients with large duct PSC were compared, and prognosis in terms of death, cholangiocarcinoma, biochemical features, histological features, and symptoms analysed. RESULTS: Mean age at diagnosis was 38 years and 39 years in small duct and large duct PSC, respectively. Mean follow up was 106 months in small duct and 105 months in large duct patients. Four patients originally considered to have small duct developed large duct PSC. Two of these underwent liver transplantation during follow up. Of the remainder who did not develop large duct PSC, two patients died during follow up: one of liver failure and the other of cardiac death unrelated to her liver disease. A total of 122 (47%) large duct patients either required liver transplantation (34 patients) or died (88 patients). Small duct patients had a significantly better survival compared with large duct patients. Among small duct patients, none developed cholangiocarcinoma compared with 28 of 260 (11%) large duct patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with small duct PSC seem to have a good prognosis in terms of survival and development of cholangiocarcinoma. Small duct PSC progresses to large duct PSC in a small proportion of patients.     

Secondary sclerosing cholangitis: a comparison to primary sclerosing cholangitis

OBJECTIVES: The natural history of secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC) is ill-defined. In order to better determine the natural history of this condition, we retrospectively reviewed data from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. We also compared the natural history of patients diagnosed with SSC to a cohort with a diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). METHODS: We used a computer-assisted search to identify patients with a diagnosis of SSC seen from 1992 to 2002. The diagnosis was confirmed by chart review and information about age, gender, etiology, therapy, and clinical course was sought. We excluded those presumed SSC patients who had a history of inflammatory bowel disease, those with malignancy at the time of diagnosis, and those who had undergone liver transplantation prior to the diagnosis of SSC. Patients with PSC matched for age, gender, and serum bilirubin level served as disease controls. RESULTS: We identified 31 patients, average age 57, (range 28-79). The causes of SSC included surgical trauma from cholecystectomy (13 patients), intraductal stones (12 patients), recurrent pancreatitis (4 patients), and abdominal injury (2 patients). Nine patients with SSC ultimately required liver transplantation and 4 patients have died. When compared to matched patients with PSC, the survival free of transplant was significantly shortened (p<0.03). CONCLUSIONS: When the long-term outcome of SSC patients was compared to matched PSC controls, the SSC patients had a poorer outcome. The natural history of SSC is characterized by a shortened life expectancy.     

Small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis: A discrete variant or a bridge to large duct disease,a practical review

The natural history, associations with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and long-term outcomes of large duct primary sclerosing cholangitis (ldPSC) have been well documented. Small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis (sdPSC) is a much less common and relatively more benign variant. The natural history of sdPSC has been difficult to characterize given the limited number of studies in the literature especially with regards to the subset of patients who progress to large duct involvement. It has been unclear whether sdPSC represented a subset of ldPSC, an earlier staging of ldPSC, or a completely separate and distinct entity of its own. Strong associations between sdPSC and IBD have been established with suspicion that concurrent sdPSC-IBD may be a key prognostic factor in determining which patients are at risk of progression to ldPSC. Little is known regarding the discrete circumstances that predisposes some patients with sdPSC to progress to ldPSC. It has been suspected that progression to large biliary duct involvement subjects this subset of patients to potentially developing life-threatening complications. Here the authors conducted a thorough review of the published sdPSC literature using Pubmed searches and cross-referencing to compile all accessible studies regarding cohorts of sdPSC patients in order better characterize the subset of sdPSC patients who progress to ldPSC and the associated outcomes.     

Treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis in children

Primary sclerosing cholangitis(PSC) is a rare disease of stricturing and destruction of the biliary tree with a complex genetic and environmental etiology.Most patients have co-occurring inflammatory bowel disease. Children generally present with uncomplicated disease, but undergo a variable progression to endstage liver disease. Within ten years of diagnosis, 50% of children will develop clinical complications including 30% requiring liver transplantation.Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare but serious complication affecting 1% of children.Ursodeoxycholic acid and oral vancomycin therapy used widely in children as medical therapy, and may be effective in a subset of patients. Gamma glutamyltransferase is a potential surrogate endpoint for disease activity, with improved survival in patients who achieve a normal value. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is a necessary adjunct to medical therapy to evaluate mass lesions or dominant strictures for malignancy, and also to relieve biliary obstruction. Liver transplantation remains the only option for patients who progress to end-stage liver disease. We review special considerations for patients before and after transplant, and in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. There is presently no published treatment algorithm or guideline for the management of children with PSC. We review the evidence for drug efficacy, dosing, duration of therapy, and treatment targets in PSC, and provide a framework for endoscopic and medical management of this complex problem.     

Natural history of small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis: a case series with review of the literature

Background and aims  

Information about the natural history of small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis (SDPSC) remains scant despite literature suggesting that it constitutes 6–16% of all cases of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). We combined clinical data on SDPSC cases from two tertiary care institutions with liver transplantation programs with the aim of studying the natural history of SDPSC.     

Papillary bile duct dysplasia in primary sclerosing cholangitis.

A 62-year-old man with a 20-year history of chronic ulcerative colitis and a 9-year history of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) underwent orthotopic liver transplantation because of symptoms related to PSC and cholangiographic features compatible with a biliary neoplasm. Study of the excised liver revealed papillary mucosal lesions in the common hepatic duct and the right and left hepatic ducts as well as cholangiectases and other features typically associated with PSC. The papillary lesions consisted of abundant fibrovascular stroma covered by biliary epithelium with low-grade and high-grade dysplasia. Some periductal glands were also dysplastic. These features distinguished papillary dysplasia from classic biliary papillomatosis. Only one focus of microinvasion was found; there were no metastases. Among 60 cases of PSC in whom the entire liver could be studied after orthotopic liver transplantation, this was the only instance of unequivocal dysplasia. However, in one specimen, papillary hyperplasia was found. Detailed macroscopic and microscopic rereview of 23 livers from our patients with the longest history of PSC (range, 5-24 years) failed to reveal any additional cases with dysplasia. It is concluded that (a) papillary mucosal lesions in PSC may represent papillary dysplasia without invasion; (b) these lesions may evolve from papillary hyperplasia; (c) the process may be largely, if not entirely, in situ; and (d) the prevalence of dysplasia and carcinoma of bile ducts may be less than the 7%-9% reported in the literature for malignancies associated with PSC.     

Long-term follow-up of children and adoles-cents with primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis

BACKGROUND: Sclerosing cholangitis (SC) is a chronic cho-lestatic hepatobiliary disease with uncertain long-term prog-nosis in pediatric patients. This study aimed to evaluate long-term results in children with SC according to the types of SC.
METHODS: We retrospectively followed up 25 children with SC over a period of 4-17 years (median 12). The diagnosis of SC was based on biochemical, histological and cholangio-graphic ifndings. Patients fuliflling diagnostic criteria for probable or deifnite autoimmune hepatitis at the time of diag-nosis were deifned as having autoimmune sclerosing cholangi-tis (ASC); other patients were included in a group of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The incidence of the following complications was studied: obstructive cholangitis, portal hy-pertension, advanced liver disease and death associated with the primary disease.
RESULTS: Fourteen (56%) patients had PSC and 11 (44%) had ASC. Patients with ASC were signiifcantly younger at the time of diagnosis (12.3 vs 15.4 years,P=0.032) and had higher IgG levels (22.7 vs 17.2 g/L,P=0.003). The mentioned compli-cations occurred in 4 (16%) patients with SC, exclusively in the PSC group: one patient died from colorectal cancer, one patient underwent liver transplantation and two patients, in whom severe bile duct stenosis was present at diagnosis, were endoscopically treated for acute cholangitis. Furthermore, two other children with ASC and 2 children with PSC had elevated aminotransferase levels. The 10-year overall survival was 95.8% in all patients, 100% in patients without complicated liver disease, and 75.0% in patients with complications.
CONCLUSION: In children, ASC is a frequent type of SC, whose prognosis may be better than that in patients with PSC.     

Incidence and mortality of primary sclerosing cholangitis in the UK: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Little is known about the occurrence of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) in the population of the United Kingdom or its associated risks of mortality and malignancy. We aimed to fill these gaps in knowledge. METHODS: We identified 223 people with PSC and 2217 control subjects from the General Practice Research Database in the UK. We calculated incidence rates (1991-2001) and mortality rates and used Poisson and Cox regression to make comparisons between populations. RESULTS: There were 149 incident cases giving a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 person years (95% CI 0.34-0.48) and a prevalence in 2001 of 3.85 per 100,000 (95% CI 3.04 to 4.80). The incidence of PSC increased about 50% over the period studied and was higher in men compared with women. There was a three-fold mortality rate increase (Hazard ratio 2.92 (95% CI 2.16-3.94) in people with PSC compared to the general population, a two-fold increase in risk of any malignancy and a 40-fold increase in the risk of primary liver cancer (HR 2.23 and 37.44, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We believe this paper provides the most reliable estimates of the occurrence of PSC and of its risk in terms of death and malignancy in the UK available to date.     

Open-label prospective therapeutic clinical trials: oral vancomycin in children and adults with primary sclerosing cholangitis

Abstract

Background

Oral vancomycin (OV) in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) has been evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent. We report the long-term biochemical course and outcomes of patients with PSC treated with OV.     

原发性硬化性胆管炎17例临床分析

目的探讨原发性硬化性胆管炎（primary sclerosing cholangitis,PSC）的临床特征、诊断和治疗方法。方法回顾性研究经影像学或病理检查确诊的17例原发性硬化性胆管炎患者的临床特征、诊断、生化、免疫及药物治疗结果。结果本病多发于中、青年男性。主要的临床特点为乏力、黄疸、皮肤瘙痒和体重减轻,发生率分别为100％、95％、90％和81％,与同期进行观察的自身免疫性肝炎（AIH）、原发性胆汁性肝硬化（PBC）的发生率比较,差异有显著性（P〈0．05、P〈0．01）。生化和免疫检查具有明显增高的GGT、ALP、TBIL、IgG和1．球蛋白。41．17％（7／17）的PSC患者伴发肝外自身免疫性疾病,35．29％（5／17）的患者伴发溃疡性结肠炎,患者均有较高的自身抗体发生率。本病诊断困难,从发病到确诊PBC平均为30个月,常常被误诊为多种其他的疾病。17例患者均见到胆管MRCP／ERCP异常,仅2例可见PSC典型的组织学变化。结论原发性硬化性胆管炎发病机制不明,临床表现复杂,误诊率高。肝功能异常以GGT、ALP和TBIL升高为主,内科药物治疗不能阻止疾病的发展。明确诊断需综合临床、生化、MRCP／ERCP和病理组织学等指标。     

The management of primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by a progressive, obliterating fibrosis of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. The pathogenesis of PSC is unknown, but it is thought to be an immune-mediated disease. Although the role of cupruretics, immunosuppressants (corticosteroids, azathioprine, tacrolimus, methotrexate), antifibrogenic agents, and ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis is reviewed, none of these agents has been shown to retard or reverse the rate of disease progression. Of these therapies, ursodeoxycholic acid at high doses looks the most promising, but large trials are needed to establish whether treatment with high-dose ursodeoxycholic acid influences the morbidity and mortality associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis.     

The management of primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic hepatobiliary disease that usually progresses to biliary cirrhosis and liver failure; it also predisposes to cholangiocarcinoma. The cause of PSC is unknown, although evidence suggests that the tissue damage is mediated by the immune system. There is an unexplained close association between PSC and inflammatory bowel disease, particularly in ulcerative colitis, which coexists in the majority of patients with PSC. No medical therapy has been proven to halt or reverse disease progression; however, recent preliminary evidence suggests that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in a high dose of 20 to 25 mg/kg may slow the disease process. Evidence from a pilot study suggests that the combination of UDCA and immunosuppressive therapy, such as prednisolone or azathioprine, may also increase efficacy. For patients with end-stage PSC, liver transplantation remains the only effective therapy, although there is clear evidence that PSC may recur in the liver allograft.     

原发性硬化性胆管炎的研究

原发性硬化性胆管炎（PSC）是一种自身免疫性疾病,其发病机制尚不明确。PSC诊断的金标准是内窥镜下逆行胆管造影技术（ERCP）及磁共振胰胆管造影术（MRCP）。PSC的治疗方法很多,包括药物治疗和肝移植。药物多推荐熊去氧胆酸,但效果欠佳。目前认为肝移植仍是治愈PSC的惟一选择。本文对PSC的研究及治疗进展作一概述。     

Disease burden in primary sclerosing cholangitis in the Netherlands: A long-term follow-up study

Background & Aims

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive, cholestatic liver disease which greatly impacts the lives of individuals. Burden of disease due to shortened life expectancy and impaired quality of life is ill-described. The aim of this study was to assess long-term disease burden in a large population-based registry with regard to survival, clinical course, quality adjusted life years (QALYs), medical consumption and work productivity loss.

Methods

All PSC patients living in a geographically defined area covering ~50% of the Netherlands were included, together with patients from the three liver transplant centres. Survival was estimated by competing risk analysis. Proportional shortfall of QALYs during disease course was measured relative to a matched reference cohort using validated questionnaires. Work productivity loss and medical consumption were evaluated over time.

Results

A total of 1208 patients were included with a median follow-up of 11.2 year. Median liver transplant-free survival was 21.0 years. Proportional shortfall of QALYs increased to 48% >25 years after diagnosis. Patients had on average 12.4 hospital contact days among which 3.17 admission days per year, annual medical costs were €12 169 and mean work productivity loss was 25%.

Conclusions

Our data quantify for the first time disease burden in terms of QALYs lost, clinical events, medical consumption, costs as well as work productivity loss, and show that all these are substantial and increase over time.