Abstract
Aims of our study were as follows: 1) to perform a 3D reconstruction of parts of the adjacent classical hepatic lobules, 2) to compare the histomorphometric techniques available for estimating the volume of the lobules using 3D reconstruction and interactive stereological techniques, 3) to assess the volume fraction of liver parenchyma, connective tissue, and blood vessels, 4) to quantify the shrinkage in tissue blocks porcine liver. The morphometric parameters were assessed using serial histological sections and stereological methods.
Volume of the sampled portions of the lobules ranged between 0.282-0.498 mm3. The volume fraction of parenchyma in liver was 0.867, the volume fraction of connective tissue was 0.077and the fraction of blood vessels was 0.026.
The mean volume shrinkage of porcine liver was 55.23%. This value can be used for correcting the data based on paraffin-processed histological sections.
For further quantitative studies, we suggest the nucleator technique as a fast, robust and reliable method for estimating the volume of the lobules. For biomechanical modelling, the absolute volumes resulting from histological studies have to be corrected due to the tissue shrinkage affecting the paraffin-processed tissue samples.