[Prognosis of cirrhosis of the liver (15-year follow-up from time of first manifestation (author's transl)].

114 patients with cryptogenic or "hepatitic" cirrhosis of the liver (toxic or biliary causes excluded) were followed for a period of 15 years. The time of first manifestation of the disease was known because all patients had been in hospital or under serial outpatient observation, with clinical and biopsy studies every six months for chronic hepatitis. In addition, diagnosis of the liver cirrhosis was confirmed by laparoscopy and histomorphology, which further confirmed the exact timing of first manifestation. In 37 patients (32.5%) the disease healed out completely by way of reactionless fibrosis after, in some of them, a long period of observation, while in 47 (41.2%) the active disease continued, and 30 (26.3%) died in liver coma or bleeding from varices or surgical shunt procedures or from carcinoma of the liver. Prognosis of cirrhosis of the liver is thus much better than previously thought.