Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40522259›Full record

ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2025

Digital Pathology Quantification of the Continuum of Cirrhosis Severity in Human Liver Biopsies.

Louis Petitjean, Li Chen, Xiaofei Zhang, Thomas Schiano, Mathieu Petitjean, Arun J Sanyal, MariaIsabel Fiel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. AnBiomedicines · 2026
    Article
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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

7 authors.

Louis PetitjeanPharmaNest Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Li ChenPharmaNest Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Xiaofei ZhangDepartment of Pathology, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Long Island, New York, USA.
Thomas SchianoDivision of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
Mathieu PetitjeanPharmaNest Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3468-7114
Arun J SanyalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8682-5748
MariaIsabel FielDepartment of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Funding

PharmaNest Inc.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsLiver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing fibrosis in cirrhotic livers, yet cirrhosis is spatially heterogeneous and continuously remodels. This study evaluates a novel phenotypic digital pathology platform for continuous fibrosis severity quantification and sensitivity to sampling variability. APPROACH AND

resultsFive needle biopsies were collected from 20 HCV-cirrhotic livers during transplantation. Histological staging used the Laennec (4A-4C) and Beijing (progressive, regressive, indeterminate) systems. Collagen proportionate area (CPA) was measured via computerised morphometry. The FibroNest platform analysed high-resolution, single-fibre images to extract 336 parameters, generating a continuous fibrosis severity score (Ph-FCS) and tailored scores for Laennec (Ph-FCS(L)) and Beijing (Ph-FCS(B)) systems. A comparative MASLD cohort (n = 73, NASH-CRN stages) was also included. The range of the Ph-FCS was broader to cover the cirrhosis spectrum (6.44 units) than from F0 to F3 (5.39 units). Ph-FCS was less affected by biopsy variability (16.7% ± 1.3%) compared to CPA (47.3% ± 4.5%). Ph-FCS(L) and Ph-FCS(B) demonstrated moderate concordance with the Laennec and Beijing stages. Their ability to classify patients into Laennec and Beijing stages was limited (0.610 < AUROCS < 0.789). At best, Ph-FCS(L) and Ph-FCS(B) distinguished stages 4A from 4C and P from R with AUROCs of 0.747(95% CI: 0.611-0.879) and 0.798 (95% CI: 0.645-0.929).

conclusionsPhenotypic digital pathology biomarkers provide robust, continuous measures of fibrosis severity and activity. They enhance traditional staging systems by offering improved resolution and reduced sensitivity to biopsy variability, with potential value in cirrhosis sub-staging and clinical decision-making.

Indexed as

LiverLiver CirrhosisAdultAgedBiopsyBiopsy, NeedleFemaleHumansLiver TransplantationMaleMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness Indexartificial intelligencecirrhosisdigital biomarkerdigital pathologyfibrosisimage analysis

Identifiers

PMID40522259
PMCPMC12169097

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Registered trials

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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.