title: Increased osteopontin and liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography in biliary atresia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze plasma osteopontin levels and liver stiffness using transient elastography in postoperative biliary atresia (BA) children compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty children with postoperative BA and 10 normal controls were enrolled. The patients were categorized into two groups according to their jaundice status. Plasma levels of osteopontin were determined using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Liver stiffness was measured by using transient elastography (Fibroscan). Ten validated Fibroscan measurements were performed in each patient and control with the result expressed in kilopascals (kPa).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma osteopontin was significantly elevated in BA children compared with that of healthy controls (47.0 ± 56.4 ng/mL vs 15.1 ± 15.0 ng/mL, P = 0.01). The liver stiffness measurement was markedly elevated in the patients with BA compared with that of controls (26.9 ± 24.6 kPa vs 3.9 ± 0.7 kPa, P = 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the BA patients with jaundice had more pronounced plasma osteopontin levels than those without jaundice (87.1 ± 61.6 ng/mL vs 11.9 ± 6.1 ng/mL, P = 0.001). Furthermore, the mean liver stiffness was significantly greater in the jaundiced BA patients compared with non-jaundiced patients (47.7 ± 21.8 kPa vs 8.7 ± 3.0 kPa, P = 0.001). Additionally, plasma osteopontin was positively related to serum total bilirubin (r = 0.64, P < 0.001). There was also a correlation between plasma osteopontin and liver stiffness values (r = 0.60, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High plasma osteopontin positively correlated with degree of hepatic fibrosis and could be used as a biochemical parameter reflecting disease severity in postoperative BA children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Rama IV Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. sittisak.h@chula.ac.th
authors.forename: Sittisak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Honsawek
authors.forename: Maneerat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chayanupatkul
authors.forename: Voranush
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chongsrisawat
authors.forename: Paisarn
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vejchapipat
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Poovorawan
mesh_terms: D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004548:Elasticity; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D041781:Jaundice, Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D053495:Osteopontin