[Changes in the liver in porphyria cutanea tarda]

Revision of 167 bioptic cases of porphyria cutanea tarda failed to confirm porphyrin crystals in diseased hepatocytes. The only peculiar finding was a fine honey-comb microvacuolisation of hepatocytes corresponding to dilated sacs of degranulated endoplasmatic reticulum in electron microscopy. The lesion was closely connected with regressive changes of mitochondria which often were giant and sometimes unspecifically paracrystalline in their inner structure. Steatosis and haemosiderosis were frequent and taken for secondary as well as the hepatic proliferation in terminal fibrosis or cirrhosis. Any increase of hepatocytic lipopigment was not found.