Hepatic iron quantitation and its relationship with disease measures and histologically assessed iron content.
OBJECTIVE
The study was undertaken to determine the relationships between the histological finding of hepatic injury, necrosis, fibrosis and iron staining with biochemical measures of hepatic injury and hepatic iron content.


METHODS
One hundred fourteen consecutive subjects undergoing liver biopsy were studied. Data pertaining to biopsy reports, histology activity index, hepatic iron concentration, hepatic iron index, and histological grading of iron were recorded and analyzed using regression analysis.


RESULTS
Statistical relationships were found between the hepatic iron index, histological grading of iron and hepatic iron concentration, whereas histology activity index was related to hepatic grading of iron, but not to hepatic iron concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
The pathologist's assessment of the histological grading of iron relates directly to the histology activity index and hepatic iron concentration. Serum measures of iron, total iron-binding capacity and ferritin can be used to monitor hepatic iron content more economically and simply than with hepatic iron concentration measurement on liver biopsy.
Sajjad
Shabbar
S
Aurora St Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53215, USA.
Garcia
Moises
M
Malik
Ahmed
A
Van Thiel
David H
DH
D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis
D007501:Iron