Abstract
It was shown recently that the concentration of all lipid constituents (total fatty acids, phospholipids, free and esterified cholesterol) is greatly increased in the blood of the hypo-physectomized-thyroidectomized dog. 1 The present report deals with the condition of the livers of such animals.
The livers of 9 dogs were examined at intervals of 70 to 419 days after they had been deprived of both pituitary and thyroid glands. The completeness of hypophysectomy in all dogs was established at necropsy. A fatty infiltration of the liver was observed in 8 of them. The livers of 6 contained abnormal amounts of fibrous tissue; all degrees of cirrhosis from early to advanced portal cirrhosis were found. The diet received by these dogs was adequate with respect to calories, proteins, salts, and vitamins and not high in fat. The details of the diet have been recorded elsewhere. 1
A section from a typical liver (dog HT8) is shown in Fig. 1. Excessive amounts of fat are present in the liver cells. The fat is distributed in both large and small droplets. There is a well developed cirrhosis with excessive amounts of fibrous connective tissue in the portal spaces. Fine ramifications of connective tissue radiate outward from the portal areas, in some instances connecting one area with another.
The high fat content (11 to 52%; average 21%) found in the livers of the hypophysectomized-thyroidectomized dogs is in keeping with previous reports from these laboratories in which it was shown that a fatty infiltration precedes the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver of the dog. 2 , 3 Cirrhosis of the liver was not observed in dogs subjected to thyroidectomy alone but in these animals the fat content of the liver did not exceed 11%.
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