Histologic variant form of autoimmune hepatitis with prominent zonal necrosis

Autoimmune hepatitis type 1 in a 8-year old girl is described. The diagnosis was established using International Autoimmune hepatitis group scoring system. In addition to characteristic histologic features of autoimmune hepatitis (periportal hepatitis, piecemeal necrosis and rozettes) prominent centrilobular necrosis was discovered. As an isolate finding in autoimmune hepatitis, this type was described only in five cases. In our unique case centrilobular necrosis is a very important parallel finding previously not detected in autoimmune hepatitis. Some experimental studies suggest that cytokines present in inflammatory cell infiltrate in the liver play a pathologic role in autoimmune liver cell damage.