ABSTRACT
In 40 alcoholic noncirrhotic patients, we performed a liver biopsy and determined the wedged hepatic vein pressure, the free hepatic vein pressure, and the intrahepatic vein pressure. In 27 of them, the serum concentration of the N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen (PIIIP) and of the laminin P1 fragment was measured. All the liver biopsies were studied by light and transmission electronic microscopy. A score of collagenization of the Disse space (six classes) was performed using transmission electronic microscopy. 37 of the 40 patients had pathological collagenization of the Disse space which was correlated with intrahepatic pressure (p less than 0.01). The lamin P1 blood level in patients (1.38 +/- 0.51 U/ml) was increased, compared to the values of our controls (0.99 +/- 0.10 U/ml, p less than 0.01) and was correlated with the wedge hepatic vein pressure (p less than 0.01). The PIIIP blood level was not significantly increased except when Mallory bodies were found in hepatocytes (p less than 0.05). The laminin P1 blood level seemed to be a good biological marker for detection of liver fibrosis in long-term alcoholic intake.
