Liver histopathology in COVID-19 patients: a mono-Institutional series of liver biopsies and autopsy specimens

Fassan, Matteo; Mescoli, Claudia; Sbaraglia, Marta; Guzzardo, Vincenza; Russo, Francesco Paolo; Fabris, Roberto; Trevenzoli, Marco; Pelizzaro, Filippo; Cattelan, Anna Maria; Basso, Cristina; Navalesi, Paolo; Farinati, Fabio; Vettor, Roberto; Dei Tos, Angelo Paolo

Few studies have focused on COVID-19 patients’ hepatic histopathological features. Many of the described morphological landscapes are non-specific and possibly due to other comorbidities or to Sars-CoV-2-related therapies. We describe the hepatic histopathological findings of 3 liver biopsies obtained from living COVID-19 patients in which active SARS-CoV-2 infection was molecularly confirmed and biopsied because of significant alterations of liver function tests and 25 livers analyzed during COVID-19-related autopsies. Main histopathological findings were (i) the absence of significant biliary tree or vascular damages, (ii) mild/absent lymphocytic hepatitis; (iii) activation of (pigmented) Kupffer cells, (iv) hepatocellular regenerative changes, (v) the presence of steatosis, (vi) sinusoidal ectasia, micro-thrombosis and acinar atrophy in autopsy specimens No viral particle actively infecting the hepatic or endothelial cells was detected at in situ hybridization. The morphological features observed within the hepatic parenchyma are not specific and should be considered as the result of an indirect insult resulting from the viral infection or the adopted therapeutic protocols.