Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39681748›Full record

ArticleDigestive diseases and sciences2025

Unexplained Chronically Elevated Aminotransferases: Liver Biopsy Gives Major Information with Therapeutic Implication in One Patient Out of Seven.

Olivia Pietri, Matthieu Chicaud, Tony Andreani, Yves Chrétien, Wendy Limousin, Sara Lemoinne, Olivier Chazouilleres, Dominique Wendum

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Article in Digestive diseases and sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Diagnostic Utility of Liver Biopsy in Persistent Unexplained Liver Enzyme Elevation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Olivia PietriAP-HP, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Department of Hepatology, Reference Center for Inflammatory Biliary Diseases and Autoimmune Hepatitis (CRMR MIVB-H), ERN RARE-LIVER, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Matthieu ChicaudAP-HP, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Department of Pathology, Paris, France.
Tony AndreaniAP-HP, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Department of Hepatology, Reference Center for Inflammatory Biliary Diseases and Autoimmune Hepatitis (CRMR MIVB-H), ERN RARE-LIVER, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Yves ChrétienSorbonne Université, INSERM, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, CRSA, Paris, France.
Wendy LimousinAP-HP, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Department of Hepatology, Reference Center for Inflammatory Biliary Diseases and Autoimmune Hepatitis (CRMR MIVB-H), ERN RARE-LIVER, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Sara LemoinneAP-HP, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Department of Hepatology, Reference Center for Inflammatory Biliary Diseases and Autoimmune Hepatitis (CRMR MIVB-H), ERN RARE-LIVER, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Olivier ChazouilleresAP-HP, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Department of Hepatology, Reference Center for Inflammatory Biliary Diseases and Autoimmune Hepatitis (CRMR MIVB-H), ERN RARE-LIVER, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Dominique WendumSorbonne Université, INSERM, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, CRSA, Paris, France. dominique.wendum@aphp.fr.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsLiver biopsy contribution in patients with unexplained elevation of transaminases is not clearly established. The aim was to study liver biopsy contribution in patients with unexplained elevated transaminases strictly defined according to the current guidelines, reflecting the present clinical practice.

methodsIn a retrospective study, we identified all the liver biopsies performed in patients with elevated transaminases for at least six months. Patients with a particular context, or with an identified cause of liver disease were excluded. The biopsies were classified according to the 4 following injury patterns: hepatitic, biliary, steatotic, vascular.

results87 patients were included. Liver biopsy showed minimal changes or a normal histology in 48%, a steatotic pattern in 21%, a hepatitic pattern in 13%, a vascular pattern in 8%, a biliary pattern in 1%, and a mixed pattern in 8%. A cause could be determined in 21% of patients with normal histology, 85% with steatosis, 56% with hepatitis, 75% with biliary, but in none with isolated vascular pattern. Liver biopsy had important clinical and therapeutic implications in 15% of patients, with a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. Elevation of transaminases > 10 upper normal limit was present in all the patients with confirmed autoimmune hepatitis, but in only 7% of others.

conclusionLiver biopsy had important clinical and therapeutic implications in 15% of patients. However, the majority of patients had minimal changes without a cause, or minor vascular lesions of uncertain significance.

Indexed as

Alanine TransaminaseAspartate AminotransferasesLiverLiver DiseasesTransaminasesAdultAgedBiopsyFatty LiverFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAlanine TransaminaseAspartate AminotransferasesTransaminasesAutoimmune hepatitisBiopsyFatty liverLiver cirrhosisTransaminases,

Identifiers

PMID39681748

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.