Abstract:

Objective To find the histopathological features of chronic rejection by analyzing the histological data of liver biopsies from patients after allograft liver transplantation. Methods Histopathological data of 16 patients were collected retrospectively，who underwent hepatic puncture biopsy due to chronic rejection between January 2015 to 2016 in pathology department of the Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Pathological analysis was performed after HE staining and immunohistochemical staining. Results Data of 16 livetransplant patients was analyzed，including 14 male and 2 female patients ；The average age was 44.75±8.98 ；The diagnoses were hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis in 3 patients，hepatic malignancy in 7 patients，chronic severe hepatitis B in 5 patient and alcoholic cirrhosis in 1 patient. The common pathological changes by chronic rejection include injury，reduction or disappearance of interlobular bile ducts，necrotic inflammation in central lobular，and inflammatory cells infiltration in the portal area. The less common pathological features include damage of interlobular artery，degeneration and necrosis of hepatic cells，cholestasis，hyperplasia of Kupffer cells，and proliferation of fibrous tissues in portal areas. Conclusion The damage and number decreases in interlobular bile ducts are common and important pathological characteristics of chronic rejection. The patterns of pathologic changes for chronic rejection were overlapped with other diseases after liver transplantation. Clinical，laboratory and imaging examinations should also be taken into consideration，when making a phathological diagnosis.