[Comparative morphological-statistical investigations in deaths with clinically known and unknown hepatocirrhosis...

352 hepatocirrhosis cases were among the 7139 autopsy cases of the years 1964--1973. It could be ascertained statistically: Together with the increasing scarred liver transformation the number of oesophageal piles and ascites increased. The greater the scarred transformation and cirrhosis activity the higher was the number of hepatocirrhoses known at lifetime. An increase of spleen weight due to scarred liver transformation could not be proved. The expected correlation between degree of fibrosis and liver weight could not be confirmed. According to expectation, hepatocirrhosis cases known at lifetime caused death more frequently than cases with unknown hepatocirrhosis. We want to point out, however, that 13 cases of death may be directly attributed to clinically unknown hepatocirrhosis. The medically unknown hepatocirrhosis cases in one group were frequently still "young" hepatocirrhosis cases without ascites and oesophageal piles, or the clinical features of advanced hepatocirrhosis were masked by other severe diseases (e.g., anthracosilicosis of the lung).