TOXIC HEPATIC-INJURY IS ASSOCIATED WITH PROLIFERATION OF PORTAL NERVE-FIBERS

Hepatic innervation is thought to play an important role in the regula tion of metabolism. Regenerating liver nodules in cirrhosis have a pau city of nerve fibers. The situation in chronic necroinflammatory and c holestatic liver diseases is unclear. We have therefore evaluated hepa tic innervation in toxic hepatitis and non-specific reactive hepatitis . Liver biopsies from 42 patients considered to have chronic toxic liv er injury, 25 patients with chronic reactive inflammatory infiltrates and variable degree of hepatic fibrosis and the control group comprisi ng of 23 individuals who had undergone laparotomy for non-hepatic reas ons (trauma etc.) and who had entirely normal hepatic histology were s tudied histologically and immunohistochemically for the presence of ne rve fibres. Semiquantitative analysis showed significant proliferation of portal nerve fibers in biopsies confirmatory of toxic liver injury . Assessment of hepatic neural elements may be useful in the different ial diagnosis of unspecified liver injury where toxic injury may be im plicated