Forrest E Petts G, Austin A, et al. - For the assessment of clinically severe alcoholic hepatitis (AH), the usefulness of liver biopsy was evaluated. Researchers recorded the histological features of alcoholic steatohepatitis and scored in patients enrolled in the Steroids or Pentoxifylline for Alcoholic Hepatitis (STOPAH) trial who had undergone liver biopsy. They further examined these features relative to outcome and established clinical prognostic scores. The STOPAH trial enrolled a total of 1,068 patients, and biopsies were taken in 182 (17%). For patients meeting strict criteria for a clinical diagnosis of AH, liver histology taken prior to treatment rarely changes the diagnosis. To identify prognosis, the Alcoholic Hepatitis Histological Score is comparable to clinical scores and was not superior. .