Abstract
Portal hypertension is related with not only liver cirrhosis, but also liver fibrosis. However, causalgenesis of liver fibrosis with portal hypertension is still obscure. Portal fibrosis, as terminal stage of various portal inflammation, might be caused by viral hepatitis, chronic cholangitis, toxic hepatic injury and other unkown etiology.
An attempt was made to clarify the role of viral hepatitis, especially hepatitis B virus, to development of such portal fibrosis. Surgical edge biopsy materials, at the various kinds of surgical operation for portal hypertention, from 63 cases of liver fibrosis, 18 cases of precirrhosis and 66 cases of liver cirrhosis, were re-examined by orcein staining for HBsAg. HBsAg was found in the liver tissues of 9.5% in liver fibrosis, 11.1% in precirrhosis and 28.8% in cirrhosis, respectively. Accordingly, even in portal fibrosis with portal hypertension, hepatitis B virus take a role in part for their causalgenesis.
