Neonatal hepatitis: histological and differential diagnostic aspects

The morphological pecularities of neonatal hepatitis are discussed on the basis of biopsy in 41 cases. The manifestations are similar to those of virus hepatitis in more advanced age, with certain quantitative and qualitative differences. The obligatory presence of multinucleated hepatic giant cells is denied, but a peculiar cell type with large bizarre nucleus was found pathognomic. The questions of differential diagnosis are discussed and the importance of liver biopsy is emphasized.