"Ground-glass" hepatocytes.

"Ground-glass" hepatocytes are liver cells which have eosinophilic granular, glassy cytoplasm on light microscopy. This appearance corresponds to a proliferated smooth endoplasmic reticulum ultrastructure. These changes may be drug-induced or associated with hepatitis B antigenaemia, particularly in carriers. In the latter case, hepatitis B antigen may be demonstrated in the liver cell cytoplasm, with a modified orcein stain, by immunofluorescence, electron microscopy and immuno-electron microscopy. Two patients are described in whom "ground-glass" hepatocytes were noted on liver biopsy. One patient had been treated with high doses of phenobarbitone, the other is a hepatitis B antigen carrier as was demonstrated by the modified orcein stain.