The intra-hepatic biliary system in cirrhósis.

The authors study 14 cirrhotic livers by means of post-mortem cholangiography and vinyl casts. They analyze the radiographs according to thorough criterions, described in the text, and come to the conclusion that intrahepatic biliary ducts in cirrhotic livers present serious alterations, represented by distorted ducts with focal stenoses, nodular impressions, wall irregularities, increase of the number of obtuse angles and poor peripheral filling, which confer a disharmonic aspect to the intra-hepatic biliary ducts of these organs. Furthermore, they show that livers with post-necrotic cirrhosis present bile ducts much more seriously damaged than those with Laennec's cirrhosis. The paper was submitted to statistical analysis and allows objective conclusions.