Kurdistan Board GEH/GIT Surgery J Club 2022 was supervised by Professor Dr. Mohamed Alshekhani and focused on autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). AIH is a liver disease characterized by inflammatory lesions of hepatocytes, presence of autoantibodies, and response to corticosteroids. While liver histology is important for diagnosis, non-invasive tests can also be used at different steps of managing AIH, including diagnosing AIH or an overlap syndrome, assessing severity, screening for associated extra-hepatic disease, evaluating response to therapy, and deciding when to withdraw treatment.

1. Kurdistan Board GEH/GIT Surgery J Club 2022
Supervised by Professor Dr. Mohamed Alshekhani.

2. Introduction:
 AIH is a liver disease characterised by necrotico-inflammatory lesions of
hepatocytes, the presence of specific autoantibodies& response to CSs.
 AIH must be considered in any patient with acute or chronic liver disease.
 As there is no pathognomonic sign of AIH, the diagnosis is based on a
combination of clinical, biological, immunological&histological findings,
after excluding other causes of liver disease.
 The clinical/biological presentation is variable& can be associated with an
autoimmune biliary disease, primary biliary cholangitis or primary
sclerosing cholangitis in an overlap syndrome, so diagnosis is challenging.
 Even if liver histology remains essential in the diagnosis, non-invasive tests
can be used at different steps of the management of AIH:
 Diagnosis of AIH, diagnosis of an overlap syndrome, assessing severity,
searching for extra-hepatic disease frequently associated to AIH,
evaluation of response to therapy, decision of treatment withdrawal.