Biopsy Biopsy is usually unnecessary but, if done, usually reveals similar histopathology regardless of the specific virus: Patchy cell dropout Acidophilic hepatocellular necrosis Mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate Histologic evidence of regeneration Preservation of the reticulin framework HBV infection can occasionally be diagnosed based on the presence of ground-glass hepatocytes (caused by HBsAg-packed cytoplasm) and using special immunologic stains for the viral components.