Quality and quantity in hepatopathology : Diagnostic and clinically relevant grading for non-tumourous liver diseases.

This article describes the grading and staging systems used in the clinical context for non-neoplastic liver diseases (chronic and autoimmune hepatitis, fatty liver and steatohepatitis, medicinal toxic liver damage, iron storage disease and gall duct diseases). Fibrotic parenchymal alterations can also be assessed as well as livers planned for transplantation, with respect to possible rejection reactions. The basis for the histopathological diagnostic procedure is the liver biopsy. The consistent and correct use of the histological scores is obligatory in the diagnostic assessment of non-neoplastic liver diseases. Different scores are available for the various liver diseases. These are qualitative and quantitative scores based on empiricism and the practical relevance has been effectively proven. Grading describes the inflammatory activity and staging the extent of fibrosis or structural disorders up to liver cirrhosis. In many instances staging is the histopathological criteria for the prognosis assessment and is, therefore, decisive for therapy indications and therapy initiation.

Pathologe. 2008 Jan 10

[Article in German]

Longerich T, Flechtenmacher C, Schirmacher P.

Pathologisches Institut der Universit?t Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 220, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland, peter.schirmacher@med.uni-heidelberg.de.