[Comparative light and electron microscopic study on liver cell inclusions in chronic alcoholic liver damage...

Liver cell inclusions in chronic alcoholic liver damage observed by means of the ligth microscope proved by correlated electron microscopy to be bile depositions, autophagic vacuoles, megamitochondria, alcoholic hyalin or accumulation of ribosomes. These liver cell inclusions are usually identifiable at the light microscopical level. The bile depositions undergo a lysosomal degradation. Thereby, they are converted into a pale brownish pigment and lose the property of reacting with histochemical bile tests. Owing to this brownish pigmentation bile depositions are distinguishable from the other mentioned liver cell inclusions under the light microscope. Autophagic vacuoles appear as eosinophilic inclusions and are PAS positive before as well as after the diastase treatment. On the contrary to these, the likewise eosinophilic megamitochondria are PAS negative, in the same way as alcoholic hyaline. With the procedure according to Goldner megamitochondria mostly strain red, whereas alcoholic hyalin lacks this property. Moreover, alcoholic hyalin is usually distinguishable from megamitochondria by its shape. Accumulations of ribosomes represent basophilic cytoplasm areas in light microscopy and are frequently located in he pericanalicular regions of liver epithelium.