Intermediate fibrosis staging in hepatitis C: a problem not overcome by optimal samples or pathologists' expertise.

Background And Aims: The prediction of intermediate stage of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C represents a prognostic factor for disease progression. Studies evaluating biopsy performance in intermediate stage considering current patterns of liver samples and pathologists' variability are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the effect of optimal liver specimens (≥ 20 mm and/or ≥ 11 portal tracts) and pathologists' expertise on agreement for intermediate stage of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.