Morphologic changes of small intestine epithelium in the course of post-alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

Morphologic changes of the duodenal mucous membrane were studied in 50 patients (20 with post-alcoholic liver cirrhosis and 30 non-alcoholic with postinflammatory liver cirrhosis). The macroscopic condition of the duodenal mucous membrane was evaluated during endoscopic examination; evaluation of the histopathologic changes in the biopsy specimens of the duodenal mucous membrane was carried out according to the criteria of Whitehead et al. (Digestion, 13 (1975) 129). Endoscopic examinations showed changes of chronic inflammatory process of the duodenal mucous membrane in 60% of the patients in both groups. The microscopic studies did not show essential differences in the intensity of histopathological changes of the duodenal mucous membrane between both groups, i.e, alcohol is not a decisive factor evoking or intensifying pathological changes of the duodenum.