Neonatal Giant Cell Hepatitis: An autopsy case

ABSTRACT

We report an autopsy case of neonatal giant cell hepatitis that was presumed to be related to bacterial sepsis, endotoxemia and to the subsequent parenteral alimentation and antibiotics treatment. The patient died of candidal endocarditis and multiple brain infarcts. This female baby was born by a normal full term spontaneous delivery. Six days after delivery she developed fever and lethargy as she suffered from Cheyne-Stokes respiration with severe grunting. Blood culture grew Enterobacter and Acinetobacter. After management of the sepsis her general condition improved. On the 23rd day of admission she was found to have deep jaundice and hepatosplenomegaly. The liver became larger progressively and the edge was palpable at the umbilical level. Grade II systolic murmur was heard along the left lower sternal border. She died on the 31st day of hospitalization. Postmortem examination showed severe jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, a large vegetation on the mitral valve and multiple petechial hemorrhages of the viscera. Microscopically the liver showed features of massive giant cell transformation, mild fibrosis and inflammatory cells, suggestive of giant cell hepatitis. Numerous yeasts and candidal pseudohyphae were seen in the cardiac vegetation, focally extending into the myocardium. There was a focus of candidal vasculitis in the bowel wall. In addition there were multiple bilateral organizing infarcts in the cerebral hemisphere as well as diffuse white matter damage associated with septicemia.