MORPHOMETRIC DISTURBANCES OF CHRONIC ISCH EMIA ON THE HEPATOCYTE - EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN THE RAT - RANDOMIZED SINGLE-BLIND, CROSS-OVER STUDY

The effects of chronic ischemia on the rat hepatocyte are morphometric ally analyzed in the present study. Rats Wistar-Lewis are used. Rats u nderwent a stenosis of the celiac artery by using a metalic guide. The interval between the experimentation until the sacrifice was 15, 30, 90, 180, and 360 days. We have performed a morphometric study using a semiautomatied image analyzer system (VIDS III, Analytical Measuring S ystems). Morphological disturbances in the chronic ischemia periods ab ove mentioned can be measured: an increase in the hepatocyte area star ting from 90 days of experimentation and also an increase in the hepat ocyte perimeter starting from 30 days of ischemia. On the other hand, both the nuclear area and the nuclear perimeter are increased in every period studied. The number of hepatocytes per microscopic field doesn 't show any change in relation to ischemia time. Cellular swelling sug gests some degree of cellular hypoxia in contradiction with other obse rvations.