抄録
Ultrastructural changes of intrahepatic bile ducts in primary biliary cirrhosis (14 cases) and chronic hepatitis (9 cases) were investigated.
Results were as follows :
1) Disruption of basement membrane and falling of epithelial cells into periductal space were revealed in a large bile duct and a medium-sized interlobular bile duct which showed chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis (CNSDC), and in a large bile duct without CNSDC in PBC.
2) Infiltration of lymphocytes into bile duct epithelium was more prominent in PBC (12 of 27 bile ducts) than in chronic hepatitis (4 of 22 bile ducts).
3) In PBC, “dark cell” metamorphosis was often observed in the epithelial cells in contact with the lymphocytes infiltrating into bile duct epithelium.
From these results, in PBC, disruption of basement membrane and falling of epithelial cells into periductal space may be specific changes in process of disintegration of bile ducts and sensitized T lymphocytes seemed to be responsible for the bile duct damages.
