Different morphologic aspects and clinical features in massive hepatic amyloidosis.

4 cases of massive hepatic amyloidosis are reported with special reference to their clinical profiles and histologic features. On the basis of these data, two different clinical and histologic courses of the disease can be distinguished. 2 patients showed marked hepatomegaly without cholestasis, whereas in the other 2 the clinical picture was characterized by much less pronounced hepatomegaly, but by severe and progressive intrahepatic cholestasis. The time course of the disease seems to be different in the two forms, the cholestatic form being more rapidly fatal than the other.