[Quantitative morphological investigations in livers and liver tumors after taking contraceptives (author's transl)]

Since the introduction of the orally applicable contraceptive steroids repeated reports have been published on the occurrence of side effects largely manifesting in the liver. By means of morphometrical and densitometrical evaluation of histological slide preparations of livers damaged by contraceptives (biopsies, operation material), qualitative and quantitative transitions between the individual degrees of the lesion up to malign cell transformation were registered by automated microscope picture analysis. It appeared that this cell transformation, like similar as in experimental hepatocarcinogenesis, is gradual process. Among the most remarkable cytopathological features are changes of nuclear and nucleolar size and of the sinusoid area and of the number of Kupffer's cells. The latter are clearly increased in hepatosis caused by contraceptives as compared with normal livers, they are reduced in the hepatocellular adenoma, and reach a value near zero in the carcinoma.