[Liver morphology in delta virus hepatitis]

Biopsy material from two groups of patients with liver diseases is studied. 12 patients with a high titer of total anti-delta (D)-antibodies are included into the 1st group. In this group, among patients with total antibodies to D-infection D-antigen in the liver tissue is found in 6 cases with a pronounced chronic aggressive hepatitis (CAH) and active liver cirrhosis (ALC). The 2nd group consisted of 30 patients with CAH and ALC and D-antigen was observed in 10 cases. Hepatocyte degeneration and pronounced lobular infiltration were the only distinctive feature of liver morphology in D-positive cases as compared to the D-negative ones. The presence of D-antigen always correlated with an active inflammatory process.