Ling Zhou

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cirrhotic patients with liver stiffness measurement (LSM) <20 kPa and platelet count ≥150×109/L (Baveno VI criteria), otherwise spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) ≤40 kPa (Baveno VI-SSM criteria) can avoid endoscopy screening; however, no prospective data for their hepatic outcomes. METHODS: Compensated cirrhosis with HBV were prospectively enrolled from April 2019 to April 2022 and followed until July 2023. All patients underwent LSM, SSM and esophagogastroduodenoscopy assessment. RESULTS: Among 1,224 patients enrolled with median follow-up of 30 months (interquartile range, 21-42), the incidence of decompensation was greater in 560 patients with unfavored Baveno VI criteria (0.5 vs. 20.4 per 1,000 person-years, P=0.0004) than that in 664 patients with favored Baveno VI-SSM criteria. The Baveno VI-SSM model identified more patients (54.2%) as low-risk for decompensation than Baveno VII-SSM model (single cutoff) (48.4%, P=0.004) and than Baveno VI criteria (34.6%, P<0.0001) did. Patients with high-risk varices diagnosed via endoscopy following Baveno VI-SSM model assessment had greater probability of decompensation compared to those identified by the Baveno VII-SSM model (single cutoff) (42.8 vs. 21.1 per 1,000 person-years, P=0.0088). Additionally, among the 493 patients who underwent endoscopic re-assessment, 242 patients with favored Baveno VI-SSM criteria had much lower incidence of EV progression (2.6 vs. 99.5 per 1,000 person-years, P=0.0004) and lower risk of decompensation compared to 140 patients with unfavored Baveno VI-SSM model (0 vs. 34.2 per 1,000 person-years, P=0.0256). CONCLUSION: Baveno VI-SSM model could identify HBV-related cirrhosis patients at low risk of decompensation, which was greatly improved upon Baveno VI-SSM reassessment.

BACKGROUND: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is required to screen for high-risk varices (HRV) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially since overall survival rates have dramatically improved with new systemic therapies. AIM: To assess the Baveno VI and Baveno VII algorithms' ability to rule out HRV in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC METHODS: We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with HBV related, compensated cirrhosis and newly diagnosed HCC who underwent liver stiffness measurement, spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) using a 100-Hz shear wave frequency, and EGD. RESULTS: From September 2021 to August 2023, we enrolled 219 patients with HCC, with 107 (48.9%) Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) A, 28 (12.8%) BCLC B and 84 (38.3%) BCLC C, respectively. HRV prevalence was 28.8% (63/219). Baveno VI criteria safely (HRV missing rate, 3.2%) avoided 27.4% unnecessary EGDs, while the Baveno VII algorithm avoided 49.3% with HRV missing rate at 7.9% (5/63). The SSM ≤40 kPa avoided 47.5% of EGDs safely (HRV missing rate, 4.8%), significantly better than the Baveno VI criteria (p < 0.001) and comparable to the Baveno VII algorithm (p = 0.390). The SSM ≤40 kPa safely avoided EGDs in patient subgroups within Milan criteria, with portal vein tumour thrombosis or BCLC B/C or candidates for systemic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We validated that the SSM ≤40 kPa using a 100-Hz probe could safely eliminate more unnecessary EGDs than the Baveno VI criteria in patients with HBV-related HCC. However, the efficacy of the Baveno VII algorithm in patients with HCC requires further investigation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a complex syndrome with limited treatment options. This study aims to investigate the impact of artificial liver support system (ALSS) on the one-year prognosis of patients with Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated ACLF. METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted on 239 patients with HBV-ACLF in Nanfang Hospital from January 2016 to June 2021. Patients were divided into the ALSS group (n = 103) and the Standard Medical Therapy (SMT group, n = 136). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected before the first ALSS treatment for patients in ALSS group, while baseline data were collected in SMT group. According to receiving different ALSS modes, patients in ALSS group were divided into plasma exchange (PE) group and non-PE group. RESULT: The 12-week and 1-year liver transplant (LT) free survival rates in the ALSS group were significantly higher than that in the SMT group (65.05% vs 52.21%, p = 0.0011; 63.11% vs. 48.53%, p = 0.0006). ALSS therapy was the independent predictive factors associated with 12-week and 1-year mortality (hazard ratio, HR: 0.59, p = 0.04, and HR: 0.54, p = 0.01). Comparatively more ALSS-related complications were observed in PE group. After Propensity Score Matching, the 12-week and 1-year LT-free survival rates between PE and non-PE group were similar (88% vs. 80%, p = 0.227, 88% vs. 80%, p = 0.227). CONCLUSION: ALSS therapy is a safe and effective treatment for HBV-ACLF. ALSS improves 1-year prognosis of patients with HBV-ACLF.