Review of Current Applications of Immunohistochemistry in Pediatric Nonneoplastic Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, and Pancreatic Lesions

Abstract

Immunohistochemical (IHC) stains are widely used by pathologists for a variety of considerations in the diagnostic workup of pediatric nonneoplastic lesions in gastrointestinal (GI), hepatic, biliary, and pancreatic lesions. The pathologic changes cover a wide range and types of presentations, including inflammatory (bacterial and viral), metaplastic, posttransplant lymphoproliferative, autoimmune, metabolic, degenerative, developmental, and genetic conditions, among others. The everyday practical value of IHC stains covers primary identification, confirmation, differential, and/or exclusionary roles in the hands and eyes and minds of the practitioners. This article is intended to review and discuss the currently available IHC stains for a variety of pediatric GI, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic lesions as encountered in the day-to-day practice of pathologists and clinicians. It reflects the most recent methods and types of IHC stains with the stated aim of helping to provide a quick reference for diagnostic considerations and thereby facilitate the workup of a broad range of GI and related conditions in a pediatric population. The tables provide a handy reference on a wide range of IHC stains for commonly encountered lesions covering a variety of pediatric GI, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic conditions that are amenable to light microscopic diagnostic interpretation.