LIVER-BIOPSY FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASE COMPLICATED BY CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-INFECTION

Objective: To identify the features of concurrent hepatitis C virus (H CV) infection in liver biopsies from patients thought to have alcoholi c liver disease.Patients: Fifty-five patients with a history of excess alcohol consumption were studied. Methods: All patients underwent liv er biopsy. Results: Eight of the 55 patients studied were found to be HCV-positive. Conclusion: The histological features found to be most u seful for identifying concurrent HCV infection were the presence of ly mphoid aggregates in portal tracts (predictive value 100%), the presen ce of lymphocytes in the lobules (predictive value 83%), and the patte rn of fibrosis, particularly periportal spurring rather than perivenul ar fibrosis (predictive value 75%).