Ground glass hepatocyte

In liver pathology, a ground glass hepatocyte, abbreviated GGH, is a liver parenchymal cell with a flat hazy and uniformly dull appearing cytoplasm on light microscopy. The cytoplasm's granular homogeneous eosinophilic staining is caused by the presence of HBsAg.

Micrograph showing ground glass hepatocytes. H&E stain.

The appearance is classically associated with abundant hepatitis B antigen in the endoplasmic reticulum, but may also be drug-induced.[1][2] In the context of hepatitis B, GGHs are only seen in chronic infections, i.e. they are not seen in acute hepatitis B.

GGHs were first described by Hadziyannis et al.[2][3]

Types

Several different types of GGHs are recognized:[4]

  • Type I - morphologically consist of GGHs that are scattered singly and have weak Pre-S2 positive immunostaining.
  • Type II - morphologically consist of GGHs that are in clusters and have Pre-S2 negative immunostaining.

There is some evidence to suggest that type II GGHs predispose to hepatocellular carcinoma.[2][5]

See also

Additional images

References
  1. Cohen, C (Aug 1975). ""Ground-glass" hepatocytes". S Afr Med J. 49 (34): 1401–3. PMID 1162516.
  2. Su, IJ; Wang, HC; Wu, HC; Huang, WY (Aug 2008). "Ground glass hepatocytes contain pre-S mutants and represent preneoplastic lesions in chronic hepatitis B virus infection". J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 23 (8 Pt 1): 1169–74. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2008.05348.x. PMID 18505413.
  3. Hadziyannis, S; Gerber, MA; Vissoulis, C; Popper, H (Nov 1973). "Cytoplasmic hepatitis B antigen in "ground-glass" hepatocytes of carriers". Arch Pathol. 96 (5): 327–30. PMID 4582440.
  4. Wang, HC; Wu, HC; Chen, CF; Fausto, N; Lei, HY; Su, IJ (Dec 2003). "Different Types of Ground Glass Hepatocytes in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Contain Specific Pre-S Mutants that May Induce Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress". Am J Pathol. 163 (6): 2441–9. doi:10.1016/S0002-9440(10)63599-7. PMC 1892360. PMID 14633616.
  5. Abe, K; Thung, SN; Wu, HC; Tran, TT; Le Hoang, P; Truong, KD; Inui, A; Jang, JJ; Su, IJ (Aug 2009). "Pre-S2 deletion mutants of hepatitis B virus could have an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis in Asian children". Cancer Sci. 100 (12): 2249–54. doi:10.1111/j.1349-7006.2009.01309.x. PMID 19719772.


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