Hepatic lobular inflammation

What it means

Infiltration of inflammatory cells in lobules of the liver. A focus of lobular inflammation can be defined as two or more inflammatory cells (neutrophils, lymphocytes and other mononuclear cells, eosinophils and microgranulomas) within the lobule present within the sinusoids or surrounding injured hepatocytes (ballooned or apoptotic hepatocytes).

Each liver lobule is hexagonal in cross section and is centered on the central vein (the central veins are branches of the hepatic vein). Within lobules, hepatocytes are arranged into hepatic cords separated by adjacent sinusoids.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category