[Relationship between hepatolithiasis and M phi, T cell subgroup reaction in the liver]

T Lymphocyte subpopulation and monocyte in the liver of 24 patients with hepatolithiasis were studied by ABC technique. It was found that there was a marked increase of the population of OKT8 and M phi positive cells in portal triads, and the ratio of OKT4 positive cells (helper/inducer T cells) to OKT8 positive cells (suppressor/cytotoxic T cells) was also higher than that in normal livers. T cells surrounding small bile ducts mainly had T4 phenotype, where as T8 cells seemed to predominate in small necrotic foci T8 cells in piecemeal necrotic foci were responsible for hepatocellular damage. These results suggest that in hepatolithiasis there was an enhancement of local cell immunoreaction and an imbalance of hepatic immunoregulatory T cells.