Comparison of collagen proportionate areas in liver fibrosis quantification between chronic hepatitis B and C

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Few studies have compared the distinct hepatic collagen morphometrics of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This study compared the discrepancies between CHB and CHC in liver fibrosis (F) quantification by using the collagen proportionate area (CPA) and liver stiffness (LS) measured with shear wave velocity (SWV). This study enrolled 274 eligible consecutive patients diagnosed with CHB (n = 137) or CHC (n = 137). Their ages ranged from 20 to 80 years (median = 50). In total, 154 patients (56.2%) were male. Participant LS was measured by using acoustic radiation force impulse elastography preceding an immediate percutaneous liver biopsy. The total proportion of the collagen stained with picrosirius red to the total tissue area was expressed as the CPA percentage, which was stratified into portal–bridging (PB) and perisinusoidal (PS) proportionate areas (PAs). Based on the METAVIR F staging system, 36 (26.3%), 36 (26.3%), 28 (20.4%), and 37 (27.0%) participants in the CHB group and 34 (24.8%), 45 (32.9%), 34 (24.8%), and 24 (17.5%) participants in the CHC group were staged as F1, F2, F3, and F4, respectively. Both the total CPAs and PBPAs were significantly (P