[Autoimmune hepatitis in children. Initial presentation as fulminant hepatic failure]. / Hepatitis autoinmune en niños. Presentación inicial como falla hepática fulminante.

UNLABELLED: There are few cases reported of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) type 2 presenting as fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) in children. The purpose of this study was to report three girls with AIH type 2 that presented as FHF. METHODS: Over a period of 12 years, 123 patients with AIH diagnosed based on international criteria, 9 (7%) were type 2.3 of them presented as FHF. Other etiologies (viral, metabolic and toxic) were ruled out. The treatment was started with prednisone (2 mg-kg-day) and azathioprine (2 mg-kg-day). EVOLUTION: Patients 1 and 3 died while waiting for liver transplant (LT) at 72 and 48 hours after initiating medical treatment. Patient 2 underwent LT3 days after starting treatment, with excellent evolution at 3 years and 7 months of follow up. CONCLUSIONS: 1--AIH type 2 was very infrequent in our group. 2--33% of cases had initial presentation as FHF. 3--The course of the disease was aggressive, not responding to immunosuppressive therapy. The evolution was unfavorable in all patients. 4--LT is an alternative treatment for this severe disease.

Hepatitis autoinmune en niños. Presentación inicial como falla hepática fulminante. / [Autoimmune hepatitis in children. Initial presentation as fulminant hepatic failure]

There are few cases reported of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) type 2 presenting as fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) in children. The purpose of this study was to report three girls with AIH type 2 that presented as FHF. METHODS: Over a period of 12 years, 123 patients with AIH diagnosed based on international criteria, 9 (7

) were type 2.3 of them presented as FHF. Other etiologies (viral, metabolic and toxic) were ruled out. The treatment was started with prednisone (2 mg-kg-day) and azathioprine (2 mg-kg-day). EVOLUTION: Patients 1 and 3 died while waiting for liver transplant (LT) at 72 and 48 hours after initiating medical treatment. Patient 2 underwent LT3 days after starting treatment, with excellent evolution at 3 years and 7 months of follow up. CONCLUSIONS: 1--AIH type 2 was very infrequent in our group. 2--33

of cases had initial presentation as FHF. 3--The course of the disease was aggressive, not responding to immunosuppressive therapy. The evolution was unfavorable in all patients. 4--LT is an alternative treatment for this severe disease.

[Histologic factors as elements of prognostic value in biliary atresia]. / Factores histológicos como elemento de valor pronóstico en atresia de vías biliares.

Biliary atresia (BA) is one of the biliary tree anomaly more frequent. Occurs in about 0.8 to 1/10.000 live births. BA is defined as a progressive biliary tree. The prognosis depends on the age of the diagnosis and precocity surgery. We present the results of a retrospective analysis of 71 RA carried out at the Garrahan Hospital from 1987 to 1993. 47 were female and 24 were male. Age ranged from 45 to 120 days of life. This study involved a consecutive series of 58 patients with histopathologic study of Porta-hepatis (PH) and liver biopsy obtained during the Kasai. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of histological factors as type of PH and hepatocytic giant cell transformation (GCT). 82.8% had favorable type of PH and the CCT was mild in 84.5%. 72.4% had bad outcome and was independent of the type of PH. Neither of them were statistically significant with survive and evolution. In our service neither PH non CGT were predictors of a bad outcome. There were good outcome in 27.5%, died 37.9% and 10.3% undergo liver transplantation. The precocity in a diagnosis and surgical procedure before two months of age are the most important factors in correlation with survival. Others immunomorphologic factors must be studied in BA that explained the etiopathogenic process. Orthotopic liver transplantation is the successful therapy in children with BA.

Factores histológicos como elemento de valor pronóstico en atresia de vias biliares / Histologic factors as an element of prognosis value in biliary atresia

Biliary atresia (BA) is one of the biliary tree anomaly more frecuent. Occurs in about 0,8 to 1/10.000 live births. BA is defined as a progressive biliary tree. The prognosis depends ond the age of the diagnosis and precocity surgery. We present the resuls of a retrospective analysis of 71 RA carried out at the Garrahan Hospital from 1987 to 1993. 47 were female and 24 were male. Age ranged from 45 to 120 days of life. This study involved a consecutive series of 58 patients with histopathologic study of Porta-hepatis (PH) and liver biopsy obteined during the Kasai. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of histological factors as type of PH and hepatocitic giant cell transformation (GCT). 82.8 per cent had favorable type of PH and the CCT was mild in 84,5 per cent. 72,4 per cent had bad outcome and was independent of the type of PH. Neither of them were statiscaly significant with survive and evolution. In our serice neither PH non CGT were predicators of a bad outcome. There were good outcome in 27.5 per cent, died 37,9 per cent and 10.3 per cent undergo liver transplantation. The precocity in a diagnosis and surgical procedure before two months of age are the most important factors in correlation with survival. Others immunomorphologic factors must be estudied in BA that explained the ethiopatogenic process. Orthotopic liver transplantation is the succesful therapy in childrens with BA. (AU)

Factores histológicos como elemento de valor pronóstico en atresia de vias biliares / Histologic factors as an element of prognosis value in biliary atresia

Biliary atresia (BA) is one of the biliary tree anomaly more frecuent. Occurs in about 0,8 to 1/10.000 live births. BA is defined as a progressive biliary tree. The prognosis depends ond the age of the diagnosis and precocity surgery. We present the resuls of a retrospective analysis of 71 RA carried out at the Garrahan Hospital from 1987 to 1993. 47 were female and 24 were male. Age ranged from 45 to 120 days of life. This study involved a consecutive series of 58 patients with histopathologic study of Porta-hepatis (PH) and liver biopsy obteined during the Kasai. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of histological factors as type of PH and hepatocitic giant cell transformation (GCT). 82.8 per cent had favorable type of PH and the CCT was mild in 84,5 per cent. 72,4 per cent had bad outcome and was independent of the type of PH. Neither of them were statiscaly significant with survive and evolution. In our serice neither PH non CGT were predicators of a bad outcome. There were good outcome in 27.5 per cent, died 37,9 per cent and 10.3 per cent undergo liver transplantation. The precocity in a diagnosis and surgical procedure before two months of age are the most important factors in correlation with survival. Others immunomorphologic factors must be estudied in BA that explained the ethiopatogenic process. Orthotopic liver transplantation is the succesful therapy in childrens with BA.