MIB-1 immunohistometry on Tru-cut biopsies in inflammatory and cirrhotic liver disease

To use immunohistometry to analyze the MIB-1 immunopositivity of normal liver parenchyma (n = 25) and of different inflammatory and degenerative liver diseases--including nonspecific inflammation (n = 12), toxic-nutritive (alcoholic) inflammation (n = 12), ascending cholangitis (n = 11), chronic-persisting hepatitis (n = 27), chronic-aggressive hepatitis (n = 28) and liver cirrhosis (n = 23).

Immunohistochemical reactions were performed on 3-micron sections of paraffin-embedded Tru-cut biopsies using an indirect peroxidase method. The rate of immunostained cells was determined using the CM-2 TV image analysis system. Twenty viewing fields (0.97 mm2) were measured with 20:1 objective magnification. An average of 2,600 cells were assessed in each case.

The values for normal liver tissue were significantly lower as compared with those of all other groups (< .0001 < P < or = .0008). In nonspecific and toxic inflammation and ascending cholangitis, the values did not differ significantly (P > .05). As compared to chronic-persisting viral hepatitis, however, the MIB-1 immunopositivity of nonspecific (P = .0056) and toxic inflammation (P = .0162) was significantly lower. Apart from ascending cholangitis, chronic-aggressive viral hepatitis revealed significantly increased MIB-1 immunopositivity as compared to all other types of inflammation (P < .0001). The MIB-1 values were significantly higher in liver cirrhosis than in the different inflammatory conditions (< .0001 < P < or = .0105) with the exception of chronic-aggressive viral hepatitis. The highest value for normal liver tissue was 0.4%; it was lower than 96% of the values in the different disease groups. Seventy-two percent of the cases with virally induced hepatitis revealed values > 1.5% as compared to only 14% in the other types of inflammation. In chronic-aggressive hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, 71% and 65%, respectively, of the values were > 2%.

MIB-1 immunohistometry allowed the detection of significantly different proliferative activity among different types of inflammatory and degenerative liver diseases, indicating diagnostic value in histologically inconclusive cases.