Published online Mar 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i11.2810
Revised: November 8, 2013
Accepted: December 12, 2013
Published online: March 21, 2014
Core tip: Recently, tissue hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA quantitation by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction has been largely used in the early post-orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) phases, especially in the differential diagnosis of recurrent hepatitis C vs mild acute rejection, replacing immunohistochemistry in some laboratories. Nevertheless, the importance of tissue HCV RNA quantitation in the long post-OLT term has not been clarified yet. The suitability and usefulness of protocol biopsies are still debated: protocol biopsies may be necessary in order to answer other open questions, such as the significance of plasma cell infiltrate in HCV-positive allografts, the prognostic weight of HCV-induced steatosis, and the impact of donor age in recurrent hepatitis C.