[Morphological bases of liver insufficiency in the early stages of the prolonged crush syndrome].

Light and electron microscopies were employed to examine liver of 45 rats and 20 dogs under 6- and 9-hour compression of soft tissues of the thigh and 2 to 7 hours after pressure was taken off. Morphology of liver microcirculatory disorders is presented, the incremental derangement of the cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) with the appearance of the signs of its function depletion after decompression is described. Alterations in the liver RES correlated with destructive changes in hepatocytes and their necrosis. The morphological alterations in the liver RES in the crush syndrome reflect the impairment of its barrier function. They may play a role in the impairment of liver regeneration processes and immunological homeostasis of the host.