Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: pathologic features and differential diagnosis

The worldwide epidemic of obesity has raised the awareness of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) from that of a curiosity to one of a potentially progressive liver disease with risk for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This overview is focused on the histopathology of the spectrum of fatty liver disease, and discusses the role of liver biopsy, differential diagnoses, and new techniques in development. When pertinent, pathophysiology of this metabolic liver disease and recent treatment considerations have been mentioned as well. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.