[Differential liver siderosis diagnosis using quantitative iron determination in the biopsy specimen]

Quantitative iron investigations were carried out in the leavings of liver biopsy specimens from 92 patients with liver siderosis, detected by histochemical methods. A discrimination between primary and secondary liver siderosis were tried by the liver iron index. Idiopathic hemochromatosis was not found in liver iron indices below 2, both hemochromatosis and secondary liver siderosis were found with an index above 2. Only idiopathic hemochromatosis was found with an index above 5 with the exception of one transfusional siderosis in refractory anemia.