SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C - AN OSO4 MACERATION STUDY ON HUMAN BIOPSIES

A study at the scanning electron microscope (SEM) on the liver changes in chronic hepatitis C was carried out in human needle biopsies from four patients. Intracellular structures were visualized by a novel mod ification of the OsO4 maceration method that allows to investigate hum an pathological specimens. At low magnification we observed both sinus oidal and hepatic cells alterations: sinusoids appeared occluded by ly mphocytes, hypertrophic Kupffer cells, activated perisinusoidal cells, necrotic material and apoptotic bodies. Some hepatocytes showed ballo oning, arrangement in rosettes, and structural changes related to apop tosis: cell rounding, detachment from neighbouring cells, clustering o f cytoplasmic organelles and cell fragmentation We also found periterm inal, sinusoidal, and pericellular severe fibrosis, and bile duct dama ge of moderate degree. At higher magnification, after removing the int racellular matrix, all the intracellular structures appeared normal, e xcept for focal dilatation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Our findin gs clearly demonstrate the usefulness of the OsO4 maceration method fo r the study of chronic hepatitis and of liver disease in general. Than k to this technique, in fact, SEM becomes a diagnostic tool complement ary to light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fo r its unique ability to give both low magnification panoramic views an d detailed high magnification 3D images of cell organelles.