Premium
Quantitation of Hepatic Granulomas and Epithelioid Cells in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
Author(s) -
Nakanuma Yasuni,
Ohta Goroku
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840030323
Subject(s) - primary biliary cirrhosis , pathology , bile duct , cirrhosis , liver biopsy , epithelioid cell , biopsy , medicine , fibrosis , biliary cirrhosis , gastroenterology , immunohistochemistry , disease , autoimmune disease
The number of granulomas and loosely arranged epithelioid cell foci in wedge liver biopsy specimens of 39 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were counted and correlated with other hepatic lesions. Granulomas and cell foci were present in 76.9 and 87.2% of the patients, respectively; their numbers varied greatly from case to case (mean ± S.D.: 2.4 ± 3.4 per cm 2 and 4.7 ± 5.5 per cm 2 of liver section; range: 0 to 18.5 per cm 2 and 0 to 23.3 per cm 2 , respectively) and decreased as bile duct loss progressed. There was positive correlation between the number of cell foci with the extent of florid duct lesions, and negative correlation with hepatic fibrosis and deposition of copper granules.