[Ultrastructural-morphometric analysis of liver biopsies in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis. I. Correlations between morphometry of bile canaliculi and so-called "marker enzymes of cholestasis" (author's transl)].

Reports on correlations between the activity of so-called "marker enzymes of cholestasis" in serum and the ultrastructural changes of the liver are rare. Therefore studies of ultrastructural changes were carried out in 40 patients with intrahepatic cholestasis. In the patients' serum activity of alkaline phosphatase, bile duct alkaline phosphatase, leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP), and 5'-nucleotidase (5'-Nu) as well as the concentration of bilirubin were determined. The results showed a significant correlation between the morphometry of the bile canaliculi and the serum activity of LAP and 5'-Nu. In patients with elevated LAP, an enlargement of the bile canaliculi could be proved. An increased serum activity of 5'-Nu correlated with a higher incidence of bile canaliculi in the ultrastructural picture. The results suggest an investigation of the ultrastructure of bile canaliculi and the determination of marker enzymes of cholestasis in the serum may both contribute to the assessment of cholestatic liver disease.