Hepatocyte decay in late irradiation liver failure

OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to examine the morbid changes of the hepatocytes in late irradiation liver failure. This was in an attempt to understand the reasons behind this failure, the extent of ultrastructural destruction, and the disturbance in mitotic activity of the hepatocytes.

METHODS: This study was carried out at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 2001-2002. Out of 80 adult albino rats of equally mixed sex, half of them were x-irradiated and the other half were employed as a control. At 12 and 24 weeks after irradiation the animals were sacrificed. The liver was examined under both the light and the electron microscopes. The hepatocytes and their mitotic figures in addition to their mitochondria were counted at both occasions of rat sacrifice.

RESULTS: The counting of these structures, as mentioned in the above methods, exhibited a considerable decrease in their numbers particularly when liver failure had prevailed. At the last sacrifice of irradiated animals, the liver architecture was largely preserved despite the markedly damaged hepatocytes, the endoplasmic reticulum seemed to have undergone detriment before the mitochondria.

CONCLUSION: It seemed, in the light of the above results that impairment of the mitotic mechanism of the hepatocytes is the major factor in predisposition to liver failure rather than the influence imposed by the damage of other liver tissues apart from these cells. The study recommends re-estimation of irradiation dosage applied for therapeutic purposes to the liver. Further understanding of ultrastructural irradiation detriment may in addition to development in other respects of radiotherapy, help to minimize complications of this treatment.