Ultrasound, hepatic lymph nodes and primary biliary cirrhosis.

Thirty-five consecutive patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were examined using liver biopsy, laboratory tests and ultrasonography of the hepato-duodenal ligament to investigate the possible correlation between enlarged lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament and biochemical activity, histologic activity or stage and/or humoral immunoreactivity. We found a positive correlation between the size of the largest lymph node and laboratory values of cholestasis, hepatocellular damage and increased humoral immunoreactivity. On the other hand, we found a negative association between lymph node size and hepatocellular function. When twelve of the patients were reexamined after at least 10 months, in the majority of the patients changes in lymph node size were accompanied by similar changes in markers of cholestasis, hepatocellular damage and immunoreactivity. Prognostic index was also directly associated with lymph node size in most of these patients. No association between lymph node size and histologic stage was observed.