INTRODUCTION: A noninvasive diagnosis of clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) has important prognostic and therapeutic implications for patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease. We aimed to validate and improve the available algorithms for the CSPH diagnosis by evaluating spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease. METHODS: This is a retrospective study including patients with liver stiffness measurement (LSM) ≥10 kPa, no previous decompensation, and available measurements of hepatic venous pressure gradient, LSM, and SSM by transient elastography referring to our center in Bologna. The diagnostic algorithms were adequate if negative and positive predictive values were >90% when ruling out and ruling in CSPH, respectively; these models were validated in a cohort from Verona. The 5-year decompensation rate was reported. RESULTS: One hundred fourteen patients were included in the derivation cohort. The Baveno VII diagnostic algorithm (LSM ≤15 kPa + platelet count ≥150 × 10⁹/L to rule out CSPH and LSM >25 kPa to rule in CSPH) was validated; however, 40%–60% of the patients remained in the gray zone. The addition of SSM (40 kPa) to the model significantly reduced the gray zone to 7%–15%, maintaining adequate negative and positive predictive values. The diagnostic algorithms were validated in a cohort of 81 patients from Verona. All first decompensation events occurred in the “rule-in” zone of the model including SSM. DISCUSSION: The addition of SSM significantly improves the clinical applicability of the algorithm based on LSM and platelet count for CSPH diagnosis. Our models can be used to noninvasively identify candidates for nonselective beta-blocker treatment and patients at a high risk of decompensation.

Objective A simple combined score with liver stiffness, controlled attenuation parameter and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the FibroScan-AST (FAST) score, has been proposed to non-invasively identify patients with fibrotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the overall diagnostic accuracy of the FAST score in identifying patients with fibrotic NASH. Design We systematically searched MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus and Cochrane Library electronic databases for full-text published articles in any language between 3 February 2020 and 30 April 2022. We included original articles that reported data for the calculation of sensitivity and specificity of the FAST score for identifying adult patients with fibrotic NASH adults, according to previously described rule-out (≤0.35) and rule-in (≥0.67) cut-offs. Results We included 12 observational studies for a total of 5835 participants with biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The pooled prevalence of fibrotic NASH was 28% (95% CI 21% to 34%). The FAST score’s pooled sensitivity was 89% (95% CI 82% to 93%), and the pooled specificity was 89% (95% CI 83% to 94%) according to the aforementioned rule-in/rule-out cut-offs. The negative predictive value and positive predictive value of the FAST score were 92% (95% CI 91% to 95%) and 65% (95% CI 53% to 68%), respectively. Subgroup analyses and influential bias analyses did not alter these findings. Conclusion The results of our meta-analysis show that the FAST score has a good performance for non-invasive diagnosis of fibrotic NASH. Therefore, this score can be used to efficiently identify patients who should be referred for a conclusive liver biopsy and/or consideration for treatment with emerging pharmacotherapies. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022350945.

To date, the only available treatment for celiac disease (CD) patients is a life-lasting gluten-free diet (GFD). Lack of adherence to the GFD leads to a significant risk of adverse health consequences. Food cross-contamination, nutritional imbalances, and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms are the main concerns related to GFD. Moreover, despite rigid compliance to GFD, patients struggle in achieving a full restoring of the gut microbiota, which plays a role in the nutritive compounds processing, and absorption. Pivotal studies on the supplementation of GFD with probiotics, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacilli, reported a potential to restore gut microbiota composition and to pre-digest gluten in the intestinal lumen, reducing the inflammation associated with gluten intake, the intestinal permeability, and the cytokine and antibody production. These findings could explain an improvement in symptoms and quality of life in patients treated with GFD and probiotics. On the other hand, the inclusion of prebiotics in GFD could also be easy to administer and cost-effective as an adjunctive treatment for CD, having the power to stimulate the growth of potentially health-promoting bacteria strains. However, evidence regarding the use of prebiotics and probiotics in patients with CD is still insufficient to justify their use in clinical practice.