Show a image of fatty liver

Reading File

Finding Sources

Reading File

Loading Image

Reading File

Here is the histological image of fatty liver (hepatic steatosis) from Robbins & Kumar Basic Pathology:

Fig. 2.30 - Fatty Liver (Steatosis), High-Power H&E stain (Courtesy Dr. James Crawford, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine)

What you are seeing:

The large, round, clear (white) vacuoles filling the hepatocytes are fat droplets (triglycerides) - this is called macrovesicular steatosis
The smaller clear spaces are microvesicular fat droplets
In many cells, the nucleus is displaced and squeezed to the periphery by the large fat vacuole
The pink background is the normal liver parenchyma (hepatocytes)

Key pathological points:

Fatty change (steatosis) represents abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within hepatocytes
Most common causes: excessive alcohol use, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Fat accumulation typically begins in centrilobular hepatocytes and spreads outward
Macroscopically, a fatty liver appears large (4-6 kg), soft, yellow, and greasy
Early fatty change is completely reversible if the underlying cause is removed

Source: Robbins & Kumar Basic Pathology, Chapter 14 (Liver)

This is a shared conversation. Sign in to Orris to start your own chat.