[Morphological characteristics of acute alcoholic hepatitis].

Liver biopsies from 60 patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis (AAH) developing against the background of steatosis, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis were studied histologically, histochemically and electron microscopically. AAH is characterized by necrosis of hepatocytes with deposition of alcoholic hyalin, obesity of the organ, and polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration. Hyperplasia of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, the appearance of megamitochondria, and an increased amount of peroxisomes reflect the participation of MEOS and the catalase system in alcohol metabolism with a progressive decrease in the activity of alcoholdehydrogenase.