Contributions to the biology of the hypoxic liver. Note I. Histological and electronmicroscopical aspects of the liver in chronic congestive heart failure.

A study was carried out on the histological and ultrastructural aspects of liver fragments harvested from 62 patients with acquired or congenital heart disease before open heart surgery under extracorporeal circulation. Against a background of passive congestion in the pericentrolobular and mediolobular areas, various mitochondrial lesions and dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum with a reduced number of ribosomes, the presence of microbodies, biliary pigments, lipid vacuoles, lysosomol hyperplasia and activation, glycogen depletion could be seen, as well as extensive collagenization of Disse's spaces, fibroblast hyperplasia and Kupffer cell activation. These lesions are more reduced in the periportal zones. In the advanced stages of heart failure, there appeared a cirrhogenic organization due to extensive pericentrolobular and periportal fibrosis.