Abstract
We studied four PBC patients who were positive for HCV antibody and HCV-RNAand compared them with 350rdinary PBC patients, using their laparoscopic and clinicalfindings. The four subjects were all females;their average age of 62 was higher than thatfor HCV-negative subjects, which was 54.6. Laparoscopically, reddish patch and protuberance formation, which are regarded as characteristic of PBC, were noted in 51%and 29%of HCV-negative patients respectively, but in none of the positive sublects. While theincidence of reddish marking was 14%in the negative group, it was present in two of thefour positive patients(50%). The subjects were medically treated with UDCA, which wasexpected to improve hepatic function with no serious side effects. Though interferon didnot disturb the biochemical profile in our present series, the histological evidence suggestedapossible exacerbation of the biliary disorder. Utmost care should thus be taken in theadministration of the agent. The possible complication of hepatic cancer should also bekept in mind in the course on observation.
