title: Liver fibrosis caused by choledocholith to regress after biliary drainage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the correlation between liver fibrosis severity and biliary drainage in patients with choledocholith.
  
  
  METHODS
  A follow-up study on seven patients with liver fibrosis due to choledocholith was made. The data, including biochemical tests (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase) and liver histological features before and after biliary drainage, were collected and studied. The fibrosis severity was scored on a scale from 0 to 3, with 0 denoting none, 1 portal and periportal fibrosis, 2 the presence of numerous fiber septa, and 3 cirrhosis. The average liver fibrosis severity scores of the first and second biopsy were compared with statistical method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first, second liver fibrosis severity scores of these seven patients were 2,1; 2,1; 1,0; 1,1; 2,1; 2,1; 1,0 respectively. The results showed that the average liver fibrosis severity score of the second liver biopsy decreased significantly compared with the first liver biopsy (n = 7, t = 4.25, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liver fibrosis due to choledocholith may regress after biliary drainage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qing-chun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China. chenzuobing@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Zuo-Bing
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shu-Sen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Guo-Zhi
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Chen-Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xue-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Lin-Mei
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001652:Bile Ducts; D042883:Choledocholithiasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index