Biliary system inflammation and cholecystitis: A study of 200 liver biopsies done at cholecystectomy

Abstract

Two hundred cases of liver biopsy were studied in patients with proved acute or chronic gallbladder disease, 97.5 per cent with stones. Thirty-two per cent of these patients demonstrated changes consistent with a diagnosis of biliary tree inflammation or what is termed as “cholangitis.” It is believed that acute or chronic cholecystitis with or without stones is only one facet of a generalized process. An ascending type of inflammation as a means of etiology is presumed but not proved. There was a significantly large percentage of patients showing fatty change which was quite variable in extent, amounting to 29 per cent of the total cases. Fatty metamorphosis seemed to be independent of any other process. Attempt was made to correlate an impaired convalescence of the patient with the status of the liver but this was difficult and not conclusive. A discussion of the method of taking the biopsy has been made. Artefacts are an extremely common occurrence in the specimens, but are usually easily recognized. Pathologic descriptions are included and represented by the photomicrographs. We believe that due to the lack of a control group this problem warrants further study.