Acta path. microbiol. scand. Sect. A, 83, 477-486, 1975
KARYOMETRY OF LIVER BIOPSIES IN VIRUS HEPATITIS LEO RANEK, SORENTOLVER JENSEN and NIELS KEIDING Division of Hepatology, Medical Department A, Rigshospitalet, and Institute of Mathematical Statistics, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, Copenhagen, Denmark
Ranek, L., Jensen, S. T. & Keiding, N. Karyometry of liver hiopsies in virus hepatitis. Acta path. microbiol. scand. Sect. A, 83: 477-486, 1975. Liver biopsies from ten patients with clinically mild or moderate acute virus hepatitis, taken in the acute phase of the disease and in the recovery phase or later, were assessed for the size of liver cell nuclei and the number of binuclear nuclei. A parametric model of the distributions of the nuclear radii was used to estimate the mean nuclear radius of diploid nuclei and the frequencies of di-, tetra- and octaploid nuclei. During the acute phase of virus hepatitis the liver cell nuclei were often larger, with greater variation in size, than in the recovery phase. This pleomorphism was not only due to pyknotic and necrotic nuclei as these were not measured. I t is assumed that the enlargement of the nuclei was due to increased metabolic activity of the nuclei. T h e frequencies of polyploid nuclei and binuclear liver cells were higher in the first biopsies, probably reflecting regenerative activity. No correlation was found between the severity of the disease as judged by liver histology or routine liver tests and the degree of nuclear changes with respect to size and frequency of polyploid or binuclear liver cells. Key words: Liver biopsies; karyometry; virushepatitis.
L. Ranek, Division of Hepatology, Medical Department A, Rigshospitalet, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK-2 100 Copenhagen 0, Denmark.
Received 4.x.74
Accepted 28.iii.75.
The histological picture of the liver in virus hepatitis in man is characterized by, among other things, a pleomorphism of the liver cell nuclei, as already observed by Roholm & Iversen in 1939 (10). This has been confirmed by karyometric investigations ( 5 , 3, 2 ) , but a karyometric quantification of the nuclear changes has been difficult due to the lack of appropriate statistical methods by which the different ploidy classes of the liver cell nuclei can be separated and quantified. The purpose of the present work is to 31 Arta path. microbiol. scand. Sect. A, 83, 5
quantify the hepatic nuclear variation by karyometry of liver biopsies from patients with acute virus hepatitis, using a statistical method which has been found to describe the observed nuclear variations well (4). The nuclear sizes are correlated with a histological grading of the severity of the disease and with the results of some routine liver tests. Besides the changes in nuclear size, changes in the frequencies of polyploid nuclei and binuclear liver cells, probably indicating regenerative processes, are evaluated.
477
B B
A
A
43 F 55 F 70 F 19 M
22 M
AorB
55
M
A
41 M
lOd 16d
0-1.: 20 d 1-2.: 20 d 2-3.: 80 d 3-4.: 300 d
1-2.:
0-1.:
16.8 4.3 0.3 0.5
4.6 0.6
10.9 0.8
23d 33 d
0-1.: 1-2,:
A
33 M
8.6 1.6
A
23 M
Cl.: 8 d 1-2.: 15 d
0-1.: 1-2.:
A
23 M
5.5 0.9 9.0 1.2
14d 12 d
0-1.: 1-2.:
A
2.6 1.5
0.5
16d 35 d
19d 11 d
5.5
0-1.: 2 0 d 1-2.: 2 6 d 2-3.: 360 d 1.1
2.8 0.5 0.4
2.9 0.6
Bilirubin (
KARYOMETRY OF LIVER BIOPSIES IN VIRUS HEPATITIS LEO RANEK, SORENTOLVER JENSEN and NIELS KEIDING Division of Hepatology, Medical Department A, Rigshospitalet, and Institute of Mathematical Statistics, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, Copenhagen, Denmark
Ranek, L., Jensen, S. T. & Keiding, N. Karyometry of liver hiopsies in virus hepatitis. Acta path. microbiol. scand. Sect. A, 83: 477-486, 1975. Liver biopsies from ten patients with clinically mild or moderate acute virus hepatitis, taken in the acute phase of the disease and in the recovery phase or later, were assessed for the size of liver cell nuclei and the number of binuclear nuclei. A parametric model of the distributions of the nuclear radii was used to estimate the mean nuclear radius of diploid nuclei and the frequencies of di-, tetra- and octaploid nuclei. During the acute phase of virus hepatitis the liver cell nuclei were often larger, with greater variation in size, than in the recovery phase. This pleomorphism was not only due to pyknotic and necrotic nuclei as these were not measured. I t is assumed that the enlargement of the nuclei was due to increased metabolic activity of the nuclei. T h e frequencies of polyploid nuclei and binuclear liver cells were higher in the first biopsies, probably reflecting regenerative activity. No correlation was found between the severity of the disease as judged by liver histology or routine liver tests and the degree of nuclear changes with respect to size and frequency of polyploid or binuclear liver cells. Key words: Liver biopsies; karyometry; virushepatitis.
L. Ranek, Division of Hepatology, Medical Department A, Rigshospitalet, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK-2 100 Copenhagen 0, Denmark.
Received 4.x.74
Accepted 28.iii.75.
The histological picture of the liver in virus hepatitis in man is characterized by, among other things, a pleomorphism of the liver cell nuclei, as already observed by Roholm & Iversen in 1939 (10). This has been confirmed by karyometric investigations ( 5 , 3, 2 ) , but a karyometric quantification of the nuclear changes has been difficult due to the lack of appropriate statistical methods by which the different ploidy classes of the liver cell nuclei can be separated and quantified. The purpose of the present work is to 31 Arta path. microbiol. scand. Sect. A, 83, 5
quantify the hepatic nuclear variation by karyometry of liver biopsies from patients with acute virus hepatitis, using a statistical method which has been found to describe the observed nuclear variations well (4). The nuclear sizes are correlated with a histological grading of the severity of the disease and with the results of some routine liver tests. Besides the changes in nuclear size, changes in the frequencies of polyploid nuclei and binuclear liver cells, probably indicating regenerative processes, are evaluated.
477
B B
A
A
43 F 55 F 70 F 19 M
22 M
AorB
55
M
A
41 M
lOd 16d
0-1.: 20 d 1-2.: 20 d 2-3.: 80 d 3-4.: 300 d
1-2.:
0-1.:
16.8 4.3 0.3 0.5
4.6 0.6
10.9 0.8
23d 33 d
0-1.: 1-2,:
A
33 M
8.6 1.6
A
23 M
Cl.: 8 d 1-2.: 15 d
0-1.: 1-2.:
A
23 M
5.5 0.9 9.0 1.2
14d 12 d
0-1.: 1-2.:
A
2.6 1.5
0.5
16d 35 d
19d 11 d
5.5
0-1.: 2 0 d 1-2.: 2 6 d 2-3.: 360 d 1.1
2.8 0.5 0.4
2.9 0.6
Bilirubin (
