Cystic fibrosis-related liver disease: clinical presentations, diagnostic and monitoring approaches in the era of CFTR modulator therapies.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disease in the Caucasian population. Cystic Fibrosis-related Liver Disease (CFLD) is defined by the pathogenesis related to the underlying CFTR defect in biliary epithelial cells. CFLD needs to be distinguished from other liver manifestations that may not have any pathological significance. The clinical and histological presentation as well as the severity of CFLD varies. The main histological presentation of CFLD is focal biliary fibrosis, which is usually asymptomatic. Portal hypertension develops in a minority of cases (about 10%) and may require specific management including liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease. Portal hypertension is usually the result of the progression of focal biliary fibrosis to multilobular cirrhosis during childhood. Nevertheless, non-cirrhotic portal hypertension as a result of porto-sinusoidal vascular disease is now identified increasingly more frequently in these patients, mainly in young adults. To evaluate the effect of new CFTR modulator therapies on the liver, the spectrum of hepatobiliary involvement must first be precisely classified. This paper discusses the phenotypical features of CFLD, its underlying physiopathology and relevant diagnostic and follow-up approaches with a special focus on imaging.