Diagnostic Disagreement Between Clinical Standard Histopathological- And Retrospective Assessment Of Histopathology-Based Gastrointestinal Graft-Versus-Host Disease In Children

Background No previous paediatric study has evaluated the frequency of diagnostic disagreement between clinical standard histopathological assessment (CSHA) and retrospective, independent, histopathological assessment (RIHA) of gastrointestinal Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GI-GVHD) Methods In a retrospective cohort study, based on gastrointestinal biopsies collected from allogeneic HSCT-treated children (<18 years) with symptom-based GI-GVHD, we evaluated; disagreement of histopathology-based GI-GVHD diagnosis in CSHA vs RIHA, and potential clinical consequences of differences between the assessments. The CSHA-based diagnoses were retrieved from histopathology reports. The RIHA was performed by one pathologist, blinded to the CSHA outcomes and based on the minimal criteria for histopathology-based GI-GVHD diagnosis by theNIH 2014. Results Seventy children with 92 endoscopic occasions (including 22 re-endoscopies) were enrolled. GI-GVHD was observed in 73% (67/92) of the endoscopies in the RIHA and in 54% (50/92) in the CSHA (P = .014). The RIHA confirmed 94% (47/50) with GI-GVHD and 52% (22/42) with non-GI-GVHD diagnoses, established in the CSHA. Disagreement, that is endoscopic occasions with GI-GVHD solely detected in RIHA or detection of GI-GVHD in CSHA but not in RIHA, was observed in 20/42 (48%) and 3/50 (6%), respectively (McNemar's test, P = .0008). The risk of a subsequent re-endoscopy was higher in endoscopic occasions with GI-GVHD detected in RIHA but not in CSHA vs if non-GI-GVHD were detected in both readings (P = .005). Conclusion Our results suggest that in children with symptom-based GI-GVHD without histopathological confirmation in CSHA, a second,NIH 2014based histopathological assessment should be considered before performing a re-endoscopy.