Morphometric investigations on the portal tracts of the liver, the differentiation of variable progression in chronic persistent hepatitis

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Abstract
Summary Morphometric investigations were carried out on the portal tracts of the liver in different forms of chronic hepatitis. The investigation groups each contained 25 liver biopsies, which were subdivided into cases with normal liver, a subsiding acute virus hepatitis, three different forms of chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) and chronic aggressive hapatitis type IIa (CAH IIa). Determinations of the volume and surface of the portal tracts and their components enabled three forms of CPH (type Ia, Ib, Ic) to be characterised. Preliminary clinical and semiquantitative histological investigations were correlated with a significant difference in the histological characteristics and prognosis. HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative cases showed no significant morphologically detectable differences in all groups investigated. Morphometry is suitable for investigation of pathological changes in liver tissue, especially the portal tracts.