Role of Liver Biopsy After Liver Transplantation

Assessment of liver histology following orthotopic liver transplantation is an essential component of management in the transplant recipient. Most programs recommend liver biopsies when there are changes in the patient’s status or biochemical tests. The use of protocol allograft biopsies, that is in asymptomatic recipients with normal or near-normal liver tests, is controversial. Considerations such as potential morbidity and mortality, cost, inconvenience, use of resources, and potential impact of unexplained histopathological findings should be weighed against potential individual and societal benefits. More than one insult can contribute to late posttransplantation dysfunction and immunosuppression can influence the histological findings and the severity of many disease such as recurrent viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and rejection. Histological analysis can help to determine the main component of injury, but careful clinicopathological correlation is needed. Biopsy interpretation should include an assessment of adequacy of the sample, and more than 6 portal tracts are considered adequate, a systematic examination, and a correlation with clinical aspects such as the original disease, immunosuppression, liver tests, viral serology, immunology and radiologic findings. Many transplant units follow centerspecific criteria; however, a wide use of the standardized criteria (Anonymous, 1997; Demetris 2000) would enable centers to compare and pool results, improve management, and better understand the pathophysiology of disease mechanisms.