Person:

Stone, John

The distinction of Crohn's disease from ulcerative colitis is based on clinical, endoscopic, radiological, and histological findings, a paradigm that remains unchanged despite the advent of new understanding of the immunological and genetic basis of inflammatory bowel disease. There is a strong correlation between inflammatory bowel disease, predominantly ulcerative colitis, and autoimmune pancreatitis. We hypothesized that colonic biopsies from patients with inflammatory bowel disease would demonstrate increased numbers of IgG4-positive plasma cells and that this elevation might be restricted to ulcerative colitis. We examined a cohort of 78 cases of inflammatory bowel disease: 50 ulcerative colitis and 38 Crohn's disease. We identified treatment-naive biopsies. Additionally, four cases of inflammatory bowel disease associated with autoimmune pancreatitis and 15 cases of lymphocytic/collagenous colitis were also identified. Immunohistochemical stains for IgG4 were performed. Biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis showed significantly higher numbers of IgG4-bearing plasma cells than those with Crohn's disease (mean IgG4 counts per high-power field (hpf) 9.8 vs 2.8, P=0.001). Samples from 19 (38%) ulcerative colitis patients had IgG4 counts >10/hpf, compared with only two (5%) patients with Crohn's disease; the sensitivity and specificity of a cutoff at 10 IgG4-positive plasma cells per hpf was 38 and 95%, respectively. Among individuals <18 years, there were no statistically differences in the IgG4 counts between the two subforms of inflammatory bowel disease. Among adult patients, a cutoff of 5 IgG4+ plasma cells distinguished ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease with a sensitivity of 53% and specificity of 83%. In comparison to inflammatory bowel disease, patients with lymphocytic/collagenous colitis showed significantly lower numbers of IgG4-positive plasma cells (P=0.0001). Ulcerative colitis with pancolitis showed higher numbers of IgG4-bearing plasma cells (mean IgG4 12.8 vs 5.8 per hpf; P=0.09). An immunohistochemical stain for IgG4 may aid in making the distinction between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (with exclusion of the pediatric cases), albeit with a relatively low sensitivity. This study also provides additional support to the hypothesis that a subset of ulcerative colitis cases is associated with a Th2 response.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the risk of malignancy in autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). METHODS: We examined resected pancreata to compare the prevalence of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) in 28 cases of AIP and 30 cases of chronic pancreatitis not otherwise specified (CP-NOS). We also reviewed a cohort of 84 AIP cases. RESULTS: The mean age of the AIP cohort (57 years) was significantly higher than that of the cohort of CP-NOS (47 years) (P = 0.01). Twenty-three cases (82%) of AIP showed PanIN, and 7 cases (25%) showed grade 2 PanIN. Grade 3 PanIN was identified in one case of AIP. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of cases with high-grade PanIN lesions between the cases of type 1 as opposed to type 2 AIP. In comparison to CP-NOS, a comparable percentage of patients with AIP had PanIN (82% of AIP cases vs 63% of CP-NOS cases) (P = NS) and PanIN 2 (25% AIP vs 20% CP-NOS) (P = NS). Of the 84 AIP cases at our institution (mean follow-up, 49 months), 2 cases of pancreatic carcinoma were identified 6 and 10 years after the diagnoses of AIP. CONCLUSIONS: These findings raise concern that AIP is associated with an elevated risk of malignancy and should prompt additional studies.

Abstract Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a periaortic sclerotic disease that encases adjacent retroperitoneal structures, particularly the ureters. A subset of idiopathic RPF cases can be associated with IgG4-related disease, but the frequency of this association is not clear. We selected 23 cases of idiopathic RPF and identified IgG4-related RPF cases based on the presence of IgG4+ plasma cells in the tissue, using an IgG4/IgG ratio cutoff of >40%. We then compared the IgG4-related RPF patients and the non-IgG4-related RPF patients in terms of both the presence of histopathologic features typical of IgG4-related disease and the simultaneous occurrence (or history) of other organ manifestations typical of IgG4-related disease. The IgG4-related RPF and non-IgG4-related RPF groups were also analyzed in terms of clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features and treatment review. We identified 13 cases of IgG4-related RPF (57% of the total cohort). The distinguishing features of IgG4-related RPF were histopathologic and extra-organ manifestations of IgG4-related disease. The IgG4-related RPF patients were statistically more likely than non-IgG4-related RPF patients to have retroperitoneal biopsies showing lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate (p = 0.006), storiform fibrosis (p = 0.006), or tissue eosinophilia (p = 0.0002). Demographics of the 2 groups, including a middle-aged, male predominance (mean age, 58 yr; 73% male), were similar. IgG4-related disease accounts for a substantial percentage of patients with “idiopathic” RPF. Histopathologic features such as storiform fibrosis, obliterative phlebitis, and tissue eosinophilia are critical to identifying this disease association. Extraretroperitoneal manifestations of IgG4-related disease are also often present among patients with IgG4-related RPF. Elevated IgG4/total IgG ratios in tissue biopsies are more useful than the number of IgG4+ plasma cells per high-power field in cases of RPF that are highly fibrotic.

Abstract Hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP) is an inflammatory condition in which the dura mater of the cranium or spine becomes thickened, leading to symptoms that result from mass effect, nerve compression, or vascular compromise. The differential diagnosis of HP includes immune-mediated conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis, malignancies, and infections. Many times, no diagnosis is reached; in such cases, the disease has been described as idiopathic HP. IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently described inflammatory condition known to cause tumefactive lesions at myriad anatomical locations. Both IgG4-RD and idiopathic HP share similar demographics, histopathology, and natural history. We hypothesized that IgG4-RD is a common cause of idiopathic HP. To investigate this hypothesis, we identified all pathology specimens diagnosed as noninfectious HP during 25 years at our institution. Fourteen cases had stained slides and paraffin blocks to permit review of the original hematoxylin and eosin stained slides as well as immunostaining of cell blocks. Recently published consensus guidelines describing characteristic histopathology and the necessary quantity of IgG4+ plasma cell infiltrate were used to diagnose IgG4-RD. Four cases (66.6%) that had been regarded previously as representing idiopathic HP were diagnosed as IgG4-RD; of all the reviewed cases, IgG4-RD represented 29% of cases. Of the remaining cases, 3 cases were associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), 2 with lymphoma, and 1 each with rheumatoid arthritis, giant cell arteritis, and sarcoidosis. Two of the cases could not be diagnosed more precisely and were classified as undifferentiated HP. Clinical history, serologic tests, cerebrospinal fluid studies, and radiology alone could not identify the cause of HP. Rather, biopsy with histopathology and immunostaining was necessary to reach an accurate diagnosis. Significant IgG4+ plasma cell infiltrates were observed in rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and lymphoma, underscoring the importance of histopathology in making the diagnosis of IgG4-RD. This case series demonstrates that IgG4-RD may be the most common etiology of noninfectious HP and highlights the necessity of biopsy for accurate diagnosis.