Earliest morphological change seen in reversible cellular injury is? Inset shows normal hepatocytes as control.

Ans. (a) Hydropic changeCellular swelling is the first manifestation of almost all forms of injury to cells. Cellular swelling appears whenever cells are incapable of maintaining ionic and fluid homeostasis and is the result of failure of energy-dependent ion pumps in the plasma membrane. It is reversible.On microscopic examination, small clear vacuoles may be seen within the cytoplasm; these represent distended and pinched-off segments of the ER. This pattern of nonlethal injury is sometimes called hydropic change or vacuolar degeneration.This is a case of hydropic change in hepatocytes (control normal hepatocytes are seen in inset).