Variability of Liver Biopsy Assessment in Hepatitis C

The decision to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is based mostly on the degree of histologic damage seen on liver biopsy. However, data suggest that the accuracy of histologic assessment can be affected by variations in biopsy sample size (JW Gastroenterol Oct 25 2005) and interpretation by the pathologist. Although this variability has been evaluated in HCV treatment trials, it has not been assessed in a community setting.

To address the issue, researchers selected 391 participants with HCV infection from a liver disease surveillance network. The researchers obtained the participants’ liver biopsy slides and the histologic reports of community pathologists who originally diagnosed HCV in each patient. Each liver biopsy was then rerea…