OBJECTIVETo study the features of histopathologic and ultrastructural pathologic changes of liver biopsy in patients with infantile cholestatic disease, and to investigate its diagnostic significance combining with the clinical data.

METHODSThirty-six children diagnosed as infantile cholestatic disease and received liver biopsy in Chongqing Medical University Children's Hospital from Jun 2007 to Oct 2008 were enrolled and the pathologic and ultrastructural pathologic changes of liver were analyzed.

RESULTSMorphologic changes under light microscope in liver tissues included hepatocyte swelling, hepatocyte denaturation, hepatocyte necrosis, multinucleated giant cell formation, bile duct proliferation, fiber tissues proliferation and inflammatory cells infiltration in liver lobules and portal regions. The characteristics of cholestasis including intralobular cholestasis, acinus formation, feather-like cytoplasmic filaments and bile stasis in bile canaliculi were observed. The morphologic changes of biliary atresia were observed in 7 cases whose image investigations showed no obstruction of biliary tract. Nuclear changes, resolution of cytoplasm, inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen fiber proliferation and increased number of lysosomes were observed under electromicroscope. Two cases of glycogen storage disease, 1 case of Niemann-Pick disease and 1 case of lipid storage disease with unknown cause were confirmed by the combination of histological changes and clinical manifestations.

CONCLUSIONCommon pathologic changes of liver tissues existed under light microscope or electroscope. The diagnosis of hereditary metabolic disorders could be made increasingly by application of these two technologies in clinical practice. It is difficult to diagnose biliary atresia in early childhood by image investigations and the pathological changes of liver tissues are helpful.

Cholestasis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Male

Bile Duct Diseases ; etiology ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Graft Rejection ; etiology ; pathology ; Hepatic Artery ; pathology ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Thrombosis ; etiology ; pathology

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hamartoma ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Infant ; Liver Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Male

The lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system and plays a key role in normal vascular function. Its failure plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of various diseases including liver diseases. Lymphangiogenesis (the growth of lymphatic vessels) and changes in the properties of lymphatic vessels are associated with pathogenesis of tumor metastases, ascites formation, liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Despite its significant role in liver diseases and its importance as a potential therapeutic target for those diseases, the lymphatic vascular system of the liver is poorly understood. Therefore, how the lymphatic vascular system in general and lymphangiogenesis in particular are mechanistically related to the pathogenesis and maintenance of liver diseases are largely unknown. This article summarizes: 1) the lymphatic vascular system; 2) its role in liver tumors, liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and portal hypertension; and 3) its role in ascites formation.
Ascites/*etiology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/complications/pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/pathology ; Liver Diseases/complications/*pathology ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/pathology ; Lymphangiogenesis ; Lymphatic Vessels/metabolism/physiopathology

Objective: To study the diagnostic value of immediate color Doppler ultrasonography on traumatic hepatic hemorrhage after tissue sampling with ultrasound-guided liver biopsy and the clinical effect of its-directed local compression hemostasis at puncture-site. Methods: 132 hospitalized patients with various liver diseases underwent ultrasound-guided hepatic puncture-biopsies, including 61 cases with diffuse parenchymal and 71 cases with focal liver lesions. Immediate postoperative color Doppler ultrasonography was performed following liver biopsy. Abnormal blood flow signal was observed at hepatic puncture biopsy site, and if there were hemorrhagic signals, ultrasound-directed local compression hemostasis was performed until the bleeding signal disappeared. F-test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Immediate color Doppler ultrasonography showed traumatic hemorrhage in 36.1% (22/61) and 40.8% (29/71) cases of diffuse liver disease and focal liver disease group, respectively. All hemorrhagic signals were eventually disappeared after ultrasound-directed local compression hemostasis. The median hemostasis time was 2 min in both groups, and there was no statistically significant difference in bleeding rate and hemostasis time between the two groups (P>0.05). There were no serious complications and deaths. Conclusion: Traumatic hepatic hemorrhage along the needle puncture tract is a common accompanying condition during liver biopsy. Immediate postoperative color Doppler ultrasonography can trace bleeding signals in timely manner and direct effective compression hemostasis, so it should be used routinely to help avoid occurrence of severe hemorrhagic complications.
Biopsy ; Hemorrhage/etiology* ; Hemostasis/physiology* ; Humans ; Liver/pathology* ; Liver Diseases/pathology* ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color/adverse effects*

No abstract available.
Bile Duct Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; *Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/pathology ; Cholangiocarcinoma/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lithiasis/*etiology/pathology/surgery ; Liver Diseases/*etiology/pathology/surgery ; Middle Aged

A study conducted 15-year ago showed that only 13.5% of chronic alcoholics developed alcohol-induced liver damage, which misled some people to believe a lack of relationship between the amount of alcohol and the occurrence of liver disease. However, it is true that a significant correlation exists between per capita consumption and the prevalence of cirrhosis. Alcoholic fatty liver is observed in most of chronic alcoholics even though the severity is not uniform. Abstinence remains the cornerstone of therapy for alcoholic liver disease (ALD). There is also consensus for the use of corticosteroids and pentoxifylline in severe alcoholic hepatitis maintaining good nutritional status to treat comorbidities in all forms of ALD, and liver transplantation in the end-stage ALD patients who can stop drinking for 6 months pre-transplantation period. Several clinical trials targeting tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and reducing oxidative stress have not been successful at this time. There is still a large field of alcohol research to explore in order to go farther in the area of pathophysiology. We need to understand a role of various cytokines and immune cells in the development of ALD to have more treatment tools to cope with ALD.
Alcohols/metabolism ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1/metabolism ; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic/pathology/therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic/pathology/therapy ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic/*etiology/pathology/therapy ; Oxidative Stress

Percutaneous liver biopsy is valued in the diagnosis of diffuse or localized liver disease. Serious complications after ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy are rare. We report a case of a 69-year-old man who underwent a percutaneous liver biopsy for the evaluation of his underlying liver disease with subsequent late complication of intraluminal gallbladder hematoma.
Aged ; Biopsy, Needle/*adverse effects ; English Abstract ; Gallbladder Diseases/*etiology ; Hematoma/*etiology ; Human ; Liver/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Male ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

An autopsy case of disseminated HSV type 2 infection occurring in a neonate at 32 weeks' gestation, delivered by cesarean section after premature rupture of membrane of 7 days duration, is presented. Herpes simplex virus type 2 was isolated from the vesicular skin lesion. The mother and patient had specific antibody to type 2 herpes simplex virus. Patient's parents had denied any herpetic orolabial or genital lesion during or before this pregnancy. Cultures from the cervical and vaginal swabs of the mother were negative for HSV. Postmortem examination showed hepatic necrosis, skin vesicle, devastating necrotizing inflammation of the brain, chorioretinitis and interstitial pneumonitis.
Autopsy ; Brain/pathology ; Encephalitis/*etiology ; Herpes Simplex/*congenital/pathology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature, Diseases/*pathology ; Liver/pathology ; Male ; Necrosis ; Skin/pathology

To investigate the temporal progression of atherogenesis on the aorta and involvement of the monocyte-macrophage system in the liver and spleen, we fed 74 rabbits with high fat (14 or 7 gm+ACU-) and cholesterol (2 and 1+ACU-) diets for 4 to over 24 weeks. Using both light and electron microscopies, we found that the bro-fatty areas on the luminal surface of aortas was spread over along the eding time dependently. The fat deposits also in the liver and spleen worsened pending on the time of feeding the atherogenic diets. Not only nocyte-derived foam cells, but also parenchymatous cells in the liver and leen involved become fat-laden cells. According to these results, we propose at there are three stages: 1) the primary seeding, 2) the intermediate turing and 3) the advanced periods. These periods may play very important les in designing the management and treatment of atherosclerotic patients.
Animal ; Aorta/pathology ; Aorta/drug effects+ACo- ; Aortic Diseases/pathology+ACo- ; Aortic Diseases/etiology ; Arteriosclerosis/pathology+ACo- ; Arteriosclerosis/etiology ; Cholesterol, Dietary/toxicity ; Diet, Atherogenic+ACo- ; Dietary Fats/toxicity+ACo- ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Fatty Liver/pathology+ACo- ; Fatty Liver/etiology ; Female ; Liver/pathology ; Liver/drug effects+ACo- ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Rabbits ; Spleen/pathology ; Spleen/drug effects+ACo- ; Splenic Diseases/pathology+ACo- ; Splenic Diseases/etiology ; Time Factors