Clinical significance of histopathologic and ultrastructural pathologic examination in etiological diagnosis of infantile cholestatic diseases / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To 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.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-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.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Morphologic 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.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Common 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.</p>

The clinicopathological study of infantile cytomegalovirus hepatitis / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinicopathological features of infantile cytomegalovirus hepatitis.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Liver biopsies from 30 cases of infantile cytomegalovirus hepatitis were observed under optical microscope and electronic microscope.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The main clinical manifestations were jaundice, splenohepatomegaly and hypohepatia. Laboratory test showed dysfunction of liver, high level of CMV DNA, and high titer of anti-CMV antibody. Imaging examination demonstrated hepatomegaly. The histological changes were hepatocellular degeneration, necrosis, apoptosis, and fibrosis. The histological characteristics of cytomegalovirus hepatitis, including intranuclear inclusions in multinucleated giant cells and pseudo-lumens, were also observed under optical microscope. In addition, virion was observed in the nuclei and cytoplasm of hepatocytes under electronic microscope.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The viral DNA and serological tests have limited utility for the diagnosis of infantile cytomegalovirus hepatitis, and the final diagnosis depends on histopathology.</p>