Secondary sclerosing cholangitis in patients with drug-induced liver injury

Abstract

BackgroundSecondary sclerosing cholangitis has clinical features similar to primary sclerosing cholangitis but originates from a known pathological entity. Secondary sclerosing cholangitis has not been investigated in patients with drug-induced liver injury. MethodsOverall 102 patients diagnosed with drug-induced liver injury were identified and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography images of 25 patients were reviewed. ResultsTen patients (all females) out of 102 had confirmed features of secondary sclerosing cholangitis on biliary imaging. Overall 70% of patients with sclerosing cholangitis had jaundice vs. 25% without sclerosing cholangitis (p<0.01). All sclerosing cholangitis patients had cholestatic/mixed type of liver injury and compared with patients with cholestatic/mixed liver injury without confirmed abnormal MRCP (n=52), they also had more frequently jaundice, 70% vs. 23% (p=0.0065), higher peak alkaline phosphatase 551 (352–716) vs. 329 (202–543) (p=0.055) and longer time to resolution of liver injury 152 days (123–353) vs. 62 days (36–91) than patients without confirmed sclerosing cholangitis (p<0.0009). ConclusionsOur results indicate that drugs can lead to bile duct injury visualized on imaging. This should be a part of the differential diagnoses of secondary sclerosing cholangitis. These patients were more likely to present with jaundice and longer recovery of liver injury than other patients with cholestatic/mixed type of drug-induced liver injury.