Abstract
We investigated a relationship between histological findings in the portal tracts and emergence of anticentromere antibody (ACA) in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Thirty-one patients with PBC were enrolled, and were divided into two patient groups: patients with early stages (Scheuer I/II) and those with advanced stages (Scheuer III/IV). The early-stage PBC patients were further subdivided into 3 groups: those with ACA, those with other immunofluorescent patterns of antinuclear antibody (ANA) and those without ANA. Ten patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) were assigned as a control group. We evaluate the number of narrowed peripheral portal veins (PVs) and aberrant vessels which reflect portal hypertension. The prevalence of narrowed peripheral PVs was significantly higher in the early stage of PBC than that in CH-C. The prevalence of narrowed peripheral PVs was higher in the advanced stage of PBC than that in the early stage. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of narrowed peripheral PVs or aberrant vessels between the ACA group and the other two groups. These findings suggest that narrowed peripheral PVs and aberrant vessels were present even in the early stage of PBC, and that there was no correlation between the severity of portal hypertension and the emergence of ACA.
