1982 Volume 23 Issue 11 Pages 1286-1291
Fifty-eight patients with HBsAg-positive chronic liver disease were studied for membranous expression of HBsAg in liver by peroxidase labeled antibody method as well as for HBeAg/anti-HBe in sera by radioimmunoassay. Membranous pattern of HBsAg was demonstrated in 16 of 28 patients with HBeAg, in 5 of 16 patients with anti-HBe and in 4 of 14 patients with judge pended for HBeAg/anti-HBe. In serial sections, HBcAg-positive hepatocytes were observed in 6 of 13 patients with diffusely membranous HBsAg and in 9 of 12 patients with focally membranous HBsAg. Thirteen of 19 HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis had membranous expression of HBsAg, but one of 7 HBeAg-positive patients with liver cirrhosis had membranous HBsAg. Diffusely membranous expression of HBsAg was mostly observed in patients with stable level of SGPT and histological diagnosis of CAH 2A, and in contrast, focally membranous expression of HBsAg was often found in patients with high level of SGPT and histological diagnosis of CAH 2B.
