Histopathology of a ballooning hepatocyte

In histo

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

, ballooning degeneration, formally ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes, is a form of

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

parenchyma upright=1.6, Lung parenchyma showing damage due to large subpleural bullae. Parenchyma () is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ such as the brain or lungs, or a structure such as a tumour. In zoology, it is the tissue that ...

l cell (i.e.

hepatocyte A hepatocyte is a cell of the main parenchymal tissue of the liver. Hepatocytes make up 80% of the liver's mass. These cells are involved in: * Protein synthesis * Protein storage * Transformation of carbohydrates * Synthesis of cholesterol, bi ...

)

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. The name is derived from the fact that the cells undergoing this form of cell death increase in size (

balloon A balloon is a flexible membrane bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. For special purposes, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), ...

). It is generally considered a form of

apoptosis Apoptosis (from ) is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms and in some eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms such as yeast. Biochemistry, Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (Morphology (biol ...

, and is a descriptor used in the context of inflamed fatty liver ( steatohepatitis) (which may be due to

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

), as well as viral hepatitis. The histomorphological appearance of ballooning degeneration is not

pathognomonic Pathognomonic (synonym ''pathognomic'') is a term, often used in medicine, that means "characteristic for a particular disease". A pathognomonic sign is a particular sign whose presence means that a particular disease is present beyond any doubt. ...

for steatohepatitis, but usage of the term is generally confined to the condition, i.e. in the context of other histopathological findings the label ''ballooning degeneration'' is not used for cell death with cytoplasmic clearing and cell swelling.

Appearance

Ballooned cells are typically two to three times the size of adjacent hepatocytes and are characterized by a wispy cleared

cytoplasm The cytoplasm describes all the material within a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, including the organelles and excluding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. The material inside the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell a ...

H&E stain Hematoxylin and eosin stain ( or haematoxylin and eosin stain or hematoxylin–eosin stain; often abbreviated as H&E stain or HE stain) is one of the principal tissue stains used in histology. It is the most widely used stain in medical diag ...

ed sections. They can be differentiated from

adipocyte Adipocytes, also known as lipocytes and fat cells, are the cell (biology), cells that primarily compose adipose tissue, specialized in storing energy as fat. Adipocytes are derived from mesenchymal stem cells which give rise to adipocytes through ...

-like cells by their cytoplasm and nucleus; ballooned cells have their nucleus in the centre (unlike adipocyte-like cells, which have it peripherally). Also, ballooned cells have (small) pyknotic nuclei ''or'' nuclei that are undergoing karyorrhexis, i.e. in the process of disintegrating. The cytoplasm of cells undergoing ballooning degeneration is wispy/cobweb-like, while

-like cells have a clear cytoplasm or a vacuolated one.

Relation to feathery degeneration

Ballooning degeneration is somewhat similar in appearance to

feathery degeneration In histopathology, feathery degeneration, formally feathery degeneration of hepatocytes, is a form of liver parenchymal cell (i.e. hepatocyte) death associated with cholestasis. Cells undergoing this form of cell death have a flocculant appeari ...

, which is associated with cholestasis, and also has cytoplasmic clearing and cell swelling.

Additional images

Image:Ballooning degeneration high mag.jpg, Ballooning degeneration.

References

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External links

Ballooning degeneration and feathery degeneration - what is the difference?
- a T-shirt that asks the question - zcache.com. Histopathology

Appearance

Relation to feathery degeneration

See also

Additional images

References

External links