Total serum bilirubin predicts fat-soluble vitamin deficiency better than serum bile acids in infants with biliary atresia.

OBJECTIVE: Fat-soluble vitamin (FSV) deficiency is a well-recognized consequence of cholestatic liver disease and reduced intestinal intraluminal bile acid. We hypothesized that serum bile acid (SBA) would predict biochemical FSV deficiency better than serum total bilirubin (TB) level in infants with biliary atresia. METHODS: Infants enrolled in the Trial of Corticosteroid Therapy in Infants with Biliary Atresia after hepatoportoenterostomy were the subjects of this investigation. Infants received standardized FSV supplementation and monitoring of TB, SBA, and vitamin levels at 1, 3, and 6 months. A logistic regression model was used with the binary indicator variable insufficient/sufficient as the outcome variable. Linear and nonparametric correlations were made between specific vitamin measurement levels and either TB or SBA. RESULTS: The degree of correlation for any particular vitamin at a specific time point was higher with TB than with SBA (higher for TB in 31 circumstances vs 3 circumstances for SBA). Receiver operating characteristic curve shows that TB performed better than SBA (area under the curve 0.998 vs 0.821). Including both TB and SBA did not perform better than TB alone (area under the curve 0.998). CONCLUSIONS: We found that TB was a better predictor of FSV deficiency than SBA in infants with biliary atresia. The role of SBA as a surrogate marker of FSV deficiency in other cholestatic liver diseases, such as progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, α-1-antitrypsin deficiency, and Alagille syndrome in which the pathophysiology is dominated by intrahepatic cholestasis, warrants further study.

Scurvy diagnosed in a pediatric liver transplant patient awaiting combined kidney and liver retransplantation.

First described in the 1500 s, scurvy is infrequently seen in industrialized countries today, although vulnerable patient groups remain. A 15-yr-old girl underwent liver transplantation at age 26 months for a primary diagnosis of biliary hypoplasia, and subsequently developed late allograft failure and progressive renal insufficiency culminating in listing for combined liver retransplantation and kidney transplantation at age 13 yr. She required regular hemodialysis treatment for 12 months prior to deceased donor organ availability, with a complicated clinical course including recurrent septic episodes and severe cachexia. Ten months after initiation of hemodialysis, she presented with severe bone pain, purpura, ecchymoses, gingival hyperplasia, mucosal bleeding, and subconjunctival hemorrhages. Serial serum ascorbic acid levels were found to be extremely low (<10 micromol/L) despite routine supplementation both in her dialysate and via regular oral supplementation. Histopathology from skin biopsy revealed purpura, hyper- and parakeratosis, and follicular plugging. She had ECG and 2D echocardiogram disturbances, as well as osteopenia and sclerosis of the extremities on radiological evaluations. Therapy with high-dose ascorbic acid (1 g/day orally) led to complete resolution of skin lesions. This case highlights the importance of awareness and recognition of this historic diagnosis, and particularly in children with end-stage organ disease with severely compromised nutrition.

N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of clove oil-induced fulminant hepatic failure.

We present a 3-month-old female who developed fulminant hepatic failure after ingesting less than 8 mL of clove oil. Initial treatment involved gastrointestinal decontamination, supportive measures, and admission to hospital. She subsequently developed fulminant hepatic failure and was treated with intravenous N-acetylcysteine (N-AC) according to a protocol used for acetaminophen poisoning. Over the next 72 h her liver synthetic function and clinical status improved, and she made a complete recovery. Previous reported cases of clove oil toxicity and the potential role of N-AC therapy are reviewed.