Toward non-invasive assessment strategies in autoimmune hepatitis.

Abstract

In this article, we comment on the article by Peta et al. This study evaluates the diagnostic performance of FibroTest-Actitest, transient elastography, and the fibrosis-4 index against a histological reference. Using the Obuchowski measure, the authors demonstrate that FibroTest and vibration-controlled transient elastography outperform the fibrosis-4 index in detecting fibrosis. Additionally, Actitest offers superior estimation of inflammatory activity compared to conventional biomarkers. Assessing liver fibrosis is crucial for managing autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), yet reliance on invasive liver biopsy remains higher than in other liver diseases. This is partly due to more complex diagnostic criteria for AIH, the lack of standardized scoring for non-invasive testing, and the presence of inflammation, which can lead to falsely elevated results with non-invasive tests. A Bayesian latent class model further supports the reliability of these non-invasive tests, highlighting their potential to complement biopsy, particularly for long-term disease monitoring. These findings underscore the importance of non-invasive diagnostics in optimizing AIH management.