A distinctive perivenular hepatic lesion associated with heart failure

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Hepatology
• Pathology

Background:

• Heart failure is a complex condition with diverse systemic manifestations.
• Hepatic dysfunction is a known complication of advanced heart failure.
• Distinguishing cardiac-induced liver changes from primary liver disease is clinically important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the distinct hepatic morphologic changes observed in patients with heart failure.
• To investigate the relationship between heart failure severity and these liver lesions.
• To evaluate the reversibility of these hepatic changes upon heart failure treatment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of liver biopsies and post-mortem tissues from seven patients with heart failure.
• Clinical assessment of heart failure status and liver function tests.
• Correlation of pathological findings with clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

• A characteristic perivenular lesion with erythrocyte replacement of hepatocytes was identified in all patients.
• Four patients had left-heart failure; three had biventricular failure.
• Clinical improvement and normalization of liver function tests were observed after heart failure treatment.

Conclusions:

• The reported hepatic lesions are directly related to heart failure.
• Reversal of hepatic changes suggests a dynamic process influenced by cardiac function.
• The findings aid in the differential diagnosis of liver abnormalities in heart failure patients.