Evaluation of Correlation between Hepatic Pathohistology of Biopsies and Clinical Indices in 359 Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Objective To analyze correlation between hepatic damage or fibrosis and serum biochemical indices, routine blood, quantity of serum HBV DNA and HBV markers in patients with chronic hepatitis B for seeking some better clinical indices. To confirm the difference between clinical diagnosis and pathological diagnosis by means of liver biopsy. Methods From June 2007 to August 2009, 359 liver biopsies of patients with chronic hepatitis B were reviewed pathohistologically. Serum samples for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TB), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB), white blood cell (WBC) and platelet (PLT) count, prothrombin time (PT), quantity of HBV DNA and HBV markers were collected simultaneously half a month before and after the biopsy. The correlations were assessed between hepatic pathohistology and clinical indices. The coincidence was evaluated between clinical and pathological diagnosis simultaneously. Results The inflammatory staging was significantly related with fibrotic scoring grading (P0.01). The inflammatory staging was correlated with ALT, AST, ALB, GLB and PT, and fibrotic scoring grading correlated with ALB, GLB, WBC, PLT and PT (P0.05). The quantity of HBV DNA was irrelevant with inflammatory staging and fibrotic scoring grading (P0.05). The patients with HBeAg negative were more than subjects with HBeAg positive in the level of S4 (P0.05). The coincidence rate of clinical and pathological diagnosis was 56.3%. Conclusion Liver function, routine blood and PT are considered to be the valuable reference for clinical diagnosis. However, liver biopsy is indispensable for confirming liver inflammatory staging and fibrotic scoring grading.