[Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in paraffin embedded liver tissues by in situ PCR]

The new technique of in situ polymerase chain reaction (ISPCR) was used to study hepatitis C virus (HCV). ISPCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) were performed to detect HCV in 7 paraffin embedded liver tissues and 8 para-hepatocellular cancer tissues. The positive rates were 6/7 and 4/8 respectively, significantly higher than results obtained by ISH, which were 3/7 and 1/8 respectively. It also demonstrated that the specificity of ISPCR was better than ISH. HCV RNA was not only found in hepatocyte plasma but also in cholangiolar epithelia and monocytes. We conclude that ISPCR is a sensitive and specific method that can improve the accuracy in diagnosis of HCV.