The sinusoidal barrier in alcoholic patients without liver fibrosis. A morphometric study.

Alcohol induces morphological changes in the endothelial and perisinusoidal cells at the fibrotic stage of alcoholic liver diseases. Directly or indirectly, through hemodynamic disturbances linked to the enlargement of steatotic hepatocytes, alcohol may modify this barrier before the onset of fibrosis. Liver biopsies were obtained from control and from alcoholic patients and perfusion-fixed. Volume and surface densities of endothelial cells, perisinusoidal cells and their processes were measured. Liver histology was normal in the 2 groups except for steatosis in the alcoholics. Volume densities represented 8.2%, 4.7% and 3.2% of the sinusoid in controls for endothelial cells, perisinusoidal cells and their processes whereas surface densities represented respectively 0.5, 0.23, 0.21 m2/cm3 of sinusoid. Morphometric values were not significantly different in the alcoholic patients. In none of the alcoholic patients did fine morphological studies of sinusoidal cells give any indication of the possible evolution of the alcoholic disease towards fibrosis. These results indicate that in the group of patients studied, alcohol, before the fibrotic stage, did not significantly alter the sinusoidal barrier.