Page created on February 14, 2019. Last updated on December 18, 2024 at 16:56
As of spring 2020 this topic is not part of the curriculum, so you shouldn’t have to learn it.
Staining: HE
Organ: Liver
Description:
There are five characteristics that can be seen:
- Some hepatocytes are swollen with very pale cytoplasm. This is called ballooning degeneration
- Some hepatocytes have no nuclei. This indicates necrosis
- Some hepatocytes have bright eosinophilic inclusion bodies called Mallory bodies
- Fibrosis is visible
- Neutrophils are present
Diagnosis: Alcoholic hepatitis
Causes:
- Chronic (years of) alcohol consumption
Theory:
These five histological findings are the five histological criteria that must be fulfilled to say that it is an alcoholic hepatitis.
This patient would probably also have an AST/ALT ratio of above 2:1, and possibly macrocytic anaemia as well.
All the characteristics are visible around the big portal triad, so I’d suggest you start looking there.