Comparative electron-microscopic studies of benign hepatoma and icterus in patients on oral contraceptives.

The author compared the electron-microscopic picture of 6 benign hepatomas and 3 specimens of icteric liver tissue in female patients on oral contraceptives. The majority of ultrastructural changes seen were identical in the tumor and non-tumor cases. It is noteworthy that there is an accumulation of filamentous substance of unknown origin in the bile canaliculi and in the Disse's spaces associated with a damage to the cell membrane. The electron-microscopic picture of the sinusoidal endothelial cells suggested an increased protein producing activity. The most conspicuous feature of the tumours was formation of continuous capillaries at the site of the sinusoids. The importance of systematic electron-microscopic investigation in studying the effect of oral contraceptives on the liver cells is stressed by the author.