feathery degeneration
Image:Feathery degeneration high mag cropped.jpg .]]
In histopathology, feathery degeneration, formally feathery degeneration of hepatocytes, is a form of liver parenchymal cell (i.e. hepatocyte) death associated with cholestasis.{{Cite journal | last1 = Desmet | first1 = VJ | title = Histopathology of cholestasis. | journal = Verh Dtsch Ges Pathol | volume = 79 | pages = 233–40 | year = 1995 | PMID = 8600686 }}
Cells undergoing this form of cell death have a flocculant appearing cytoplasm,{{Cite journal | last1 = Li | first1 = MK | last2 = Crawford | first2 = JM | title = The pathology of cholestasis. | journal = Semin Liver Dis | volume = 24 | issue = 1 | pages = 21–42 |date=Feb 2004 | doi = 10.1055/s-2004-823099 | PMID = 15085484 }} and are larger than normal hepatocytes.
Relation to ballooning degeneration
Feathery degeneration is somewhat similar in appearance to ballooning degeneration, which is due to other causes (e.g. alcohol, obesity); it also has cytoplasmic clearing and cell swelling.
See also
Additional images
Image:Feathery degeneration high mag.jpg|Feathery degeneration. H&E stain.