Peripheral lobular necrosis in hepatitis

Abstract

Foreword: In recent years knowledge of the clinical and pathological features of hepatitis has so increased that the disease has now become the subject of reviews (e.g: Sodeman 1946, Editorial, Ann. Int. Med. 1946, Dible 1947, Havers 1948). As a review of the literature will show, the morbid anatomical changes have been largely worked out and there appears to be general agreement on their nature.

During the second world war the present writer had the opportunity of examining material from a number of fatal cases of hepatitis. The observations made on the liver changes agree in most respects with those generally accepted, but there are some points on which they differ. The chief feature on difference is in the localisation of the necrosis in the liver lobule, and it is proposed in this paper to describe the changes found in the samples of liver, with special reference to the occurrence and significance of necrosis in the peripheral cells of the hepatic lobule.