PHOSPHOLIPID FATTY LIVER: A PROPOSAL OF A NEW CONCEPT AND ITS ELECTRON MICROSCOPICAL STUDY

Abstract

A new type of fatty liver, in which a large amount of phospholipids deposited in the liver parenchymal cells, is presented. Electron microscopically, numerous myelin figures filled up the cytoplasm of the enlarged liver parenchymal cells. They showed a typical concentric lamellar structure and existed singly or gathered together in the cytoplasm. Sometimes they were limited by a single membrane. This new type of fatty liver was found in the patient with markedly enlarged liver and probably with some chronic inflammation. Morphogenesis of these myelin figures and causal relationship to chronic infiammation were discussed, and a new concept as phospholipid fatty liver was proposed.