ABSTRACT
A hepatitis non-A,non-B-associated substance (HNANB-AS) excreted in feces has been detected by means of a sandwich radioimmunoassay using reconvalescent serum and IgG from patients with posttransfusion HNANB. 4380 stool filtrates from 1599 patients were screened with this assay. In patients with posttransfusion or sporadic acute and chronic HNANB the substance was detected with a mean frequency of 34%, in acute posttransfusion HNANB, where samples were screened at the beginning of the clinical symptoms, 71.4% of stool specimens were positive for HNANB-AS. A high frequency of positive results was found in patients undergoing dialysis (31.3%), hemophiliacs (16.6%) and patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis (16%). Positive specimens were seen in hepatitis A (7.1%), acute and chronic HBV-infection (9.6%), various liver diseases (7.8%), outpatients of a physician (3.1%) and clinical or laboratory staff (6%). In these groups, too, anamnestic data speaking in favour for a possible HNANB frequently were obtained. The discovery of a partially double-stranded circular DNA of 5.0 Kb in HNANB-AS which sequence differs from human, bacterial and known viral DNA, argues the presence of a viral particle in stools of patients with sporadic and parenteral HNANB.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis C/microbiology , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/microbiology , Transfusion Reaction , Acute Disease , Chronic Disease , DNA, Viral/isolation & purification , Feces/microbiology , Hepatitis C/etiology , HumansABSTRACT
Caroli's syndrome is a rare disease, six cases of which were under the authors' care between 1979 and 1986. None had associated congenital hepatic fibrosis; one had an associated choledochal anomaly. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography proved to be the most sensitive diagnostic method. Liver abscess and secondary biliary cirrhosis of the liver developed as complications. Partial liver resection was possible in two patients in whom only one lobe had been affected.
Subject(s)
Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic , Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde , Dilatation, Pathologic/congenital , Dilatation, Pathologic/diagnostic imaging , Humans , SyndromeABSTRACT
A case report is given of a patient with liver cirrhosis caused by hemosiderosis, who developed liver carcinoma. In such patients liver carcinoma can only be excluded by means of peritoneoscopy. Sonography, computer tomography and laboratory findings will not allow to make the correct diagnosis, because of the particular nature of liver changes in hemosiderosis of the liver, as can be seen in our case. Thus none of the non-invasive procedures mentioned above are suited for early diagnosis of malignant liver disease because of the special morphological features in hemosiderosis of the liver.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis , Hemosiderosis/complications , Laparoscopy , Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/etiology , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/etiology , Liver Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Liver Neoplasms/etiology , Male , Middle Aged , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , UltrasonographySubject(s)
Esophageal and Gastric Varices/therapy , Sclerosing Solutions/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Endoscopy , Esophageal and Gastric Varices/mortality , Esophageal and Gastric Varices/surgery , Esophagoscopy , Female , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/therapy , Humans , Male , Methods , Polidocanol , Polyethylene Glycols/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Recently, as a result of the introduction of the ingenious method of percutaneous biopsy of the liver according to Menghini, the improvements made in biochemical diagnostics, the introduction of scintigraphy and sonography as well as computer tomography, competing methods have gained ground, raising the question to what extent the scope of indications for laparoscopy is thereby narrowed down. We, ourselves, have now had our own experience with around 19,500 laparoscopies. We thereby experienced 2 deaths as a result of bleeding from abdominal varices. This is still below the risk of collective statistics concerning percutaneous liver biopsy. One must, nevertheless, consider whether by extending our diagnostic possibilities the indications for laparoscopy can continue to be applied as they have been in the past.
Subject(s)
Laparoscopy , Liver Diseases/diagnosis , Biopsy , Humans , Liver/diagnostic imaging , Liver/pathology , Prospective Studies , Radionuclide ImagingABSTRACT
Although hepatic injury due to drugs plays only a minor role in comparison with the incidence of viral or alcoholic hepatitis, it is important to know about this form because it is an iatrogenic disease which the physician causes by the medical treatment he administers without being conscious of it. Yet awareness of the physician can prevent or rapidly reverse such injury.
Subject(s)
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , Acetaminophen/adverse effects , Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects , Antitubercular Agents/adverse effects , Cathartics/adverse effects , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/etiology , Contraceptives, Oral/adverse effects , Female , Halothane/adverse effects , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Chronic hepatitis is the commonest clinical picture with liver involvement and regarded as the link between acute liver injury due to viruses or toxic noxae, and irreversible, complete hepatic cirrhosis. For reasons associated with diagnosis, prognosis and therapy it is essential that a distinction should be made based on the etiology and stage of the disease but assessment is only partly possible by clinical or biochemical procedures. This paper states etiology, pathogenesis and sequelae of chronic hepatitis on the basis of our cases.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis/etiology , Chronic Disease , Hepatitis/pathology , Hepatitis/therapy , Hepatitis, Alcoholic/pathology , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/etiology , Humans , Liver/pathology , PrognosisABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Report about the experience in almost 20000 cases of percutaneous liver biopsy. The puncture was done by Menghini needle. COMPLICATIONS: No case of death, 11 bleedings, 1 biliary peritonitis, 1 exudative pleurisy, 1 valvular pneumothorax, 2 hematothoraxes. In 5 cases laparotomy was necessary. The frequency of non lethal complications was 0,08%, of complications with following laparotomy 0,25%. All punctions were done with a needle caliber of 1,8 mm. Our experience shows that the risk of bleeding is not correlated with the caliber of the punction needle. In comparison with other statistics the postpunctional morbidity is distinctly better; fortunately we had no mortality.
Subject(s)
Biopsy, Needle , Liver Diseases/pathology , Liver/pathology , Biopsy, Needle/adverse effects , HumansABSTRACT
A double-blind study was conducted in four hospitals to test the effect of (+)-cyanidanol-3 (Catergen) on the course of acute viral hepatitis. Activities of a number of enzymes, bilirubin levels and gamma-globulin concentrations, as well as elimination of HBs antigen in blood were measured serially in 73 patients with viral hepatitis, 37 being treated with the drug, 36 patients receiving a placebo. In addition, liver biopsies before and after treatment were compared (19 patients treated, 23 patients on placebo). There was no significant difference between the treatment and placebo groups with regards to morphological and biochemical changes.
