[Chronic hepatitis--clinicopathological studies of 687 cases (author's transl)]

Chronic hepatitis is one of liver diseases with arguments from the clinical and histopathological aspects. Histopathological examinations were made on 687 biopsy cases clinically diagnosed as chronic hepatitis. Histopathological classification was based on our own criteria by referring to discussions in the series of Inuyama symposia on hepattis and others. The correlation between histological diagnosis and clinical data was also examined. Histopathological diagnoses made of the 687 cases were classified as follows; normal liver or liver with no pathognomonic changes of 77 cases (11.2%), non-specific reactive hepatitis of 56 cases (8.0%), viral hepatitis of 488 cases (71.0%), alcoholic hepatitis of 25 cases (3.6%), fatty liver of 23 cases (3.3%), massive liver necrosis of 3 cases, liver fibrosis of 2 cases, congestive liver of 1 case, and unclassified 12 cases due to inadequate specimens or other reasons. Among 488 viral hepatitis cases, histological stages were as follows; acute hepatitis (38 cases, 7.8%), persistent hepatitis (23 cases, 4.7%), chronic inactive hepatitis (142 cases, 29.1%), chronic active hepatitis (165 cases, 33.8%), chronic hepatitis with subloblar necrosis (33 cases, 6.8%), precirrhosis (51 cases, 10.5%), cirrhosis (27 cases, 5.5%). The relationship between histological aspects and clinical features was discussed by sex, age, and others. Of 41 follow up cases, significant values of histological type, presence of HB ag., or alcoholic were discussed as for the causative factors evolving liver cirrhosis.