Faculty Bibliography

Liver biopsy specimens from 168 patients who underwent a total of 364 biopsies were examined. Of 83 patients receiving biopsies before methotrexate treatment, 14 had one or more risk factors predictive of liver abnormality but they had normal pretreatment biopsy specimens. Among 17 patients with abnormal biopsy specimens before methotrexate treatment, only 1 had an identifiable risk factor and 5 had abnormal results of liver function tests. The probability of a normal biopsy specimen after methotrexate treatment dropped below 50% at a cumulative methotrexate dose of 3115 mg for the 31 patients with biopsy specimens from before and after methotrexate treatment and 5776 mg for those who had biopsies only after methotrexate treatment; this difference was statistically significant and is thought to be related to the fact that the patients who had biopsies before and after methotrexate treatment had received most of their medication by the parenteral rather than the oral route. A significant association existed between biopsy grade after methotrexate treatment and obesity. Other risk factors were not correlated with biopsy grade. Blood chemistry tests were not predictive of histopathologic findings. Eight of 11 patients with fibrosis or cirrhosis showed meaningful improvement in liver histologic findings after methotrexate treatment had been withdrawn for 6 months or more; none had progression of abnormalities

Etretinate is an aromatic retinoid and derivative of vitamin A soon to be approved for general use in the U.S. as therapy for severe psoriasis. We report on liver morphology and function in 18 subjects who received the drug for at least 5 years as part of a clinical trial. The majority (14) suffered no or mild and reversible structural liver changes; mild transient elevations in serum triglyceride and liver enzymes were noted occasionally. Of the remaining four patients, mild periportal fibrosis was documented in two, another had changes similar to chronic active hepatitis, and a fourth had cirrhosis that was unrelated to alcohol use. Liver function data, cumulative drug dose, and treatment duration were generally not reflective of these changes. The results of this study suggest a need for periodic liver biopsy to monitor patients on long-term etretinate therapy

The possibility of hepatotoxic reactions in 24 patients receiving long-term methotrexate therapy for psoriasis was evaluated by both liver biopsies and technetium TC 99 m sulfur-colloid liver scans. The two diagnostic methods were compared in a retrospective analysis. Six of 17 patients with clinically normal liver biopsy interpretations were found to have abnormal liver scans, while three of five patients with histologically proved fibrosis had completely normal liver scans. We conclude that hepatotoxic reactions from long-term methotrexate use in psoriasis cannot be reliably evaluated by the technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid liver scan.

Retrograde endoscopic cholangiography is an effective means of evaluating the biliary ductal system. It can provide a nonoperative modality for diagnosing PSC and for assessing the effects of therapeutic interventions on the diameter of the bile ducts.