Wilson's disease (WD) is a rare liver-based disorder of copper metabolism. Prognostic criteria described by our group in 1986 to predict death without transplantation have not been universally validated. The clinical features of 88 children were reviewed, retrospectively in 74 and prospectively in 14. Data from the retrospectively recruited patients that died or survived on long-term chelation were used to evaluate the validity of our old scoring system and to devise a new prognostic index, then assessed in the 14 prospectively recruited patients. Using the old scoring system, 5 children scoring > 7, the cutoff value for death without transplantation, survived, whereas 4 scoring < 7 died (sensitivity 87% and specificity 90%). A new index based on serum bilirubin, international normalized ratio, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and white cell count (WCC) at presentation identified a cutoff score of 11 for death and proved to be 93% sensitive and 98% specific, with a positive predictive value of 88%. When the new index was evaluated prospectively in 14 patients, it predicted the need for transplantation in only the 4 who required it, although 1 child with a score of 11 survived on medical treatment. In conclusion, the new Wilson Index is more sensitive and specific in predicting mortality without transplantation than the old scoring system, but needs to be validated in a larger number of patients. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:441-448.)

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Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare but often fatal disorder in childhood. Its aetiology includes infections, toxins, metabolic disorders, infiltrative diseases, autoimmune hepatitis, ischaemia, irradiation damage, but in a high proportion of cases it remains unknown. In contrast to adults, in children with ALF hepatic encephalopathy can be a late event, and may not develop at all, despite a lethal outcome, particularly in infants. Children with ALF should be managed in experienced centres with facilities for liver transplantation. Transplantation should be offered only if the underlying disease is treatable by liver replacement and if the prognosis of transplant is better than that of the underlying disease, as in many cases of ALF the liver has the potential to recover with supportive treatment, if the child is kept alive and stable long enough. Universally accepted criteria for listing for transplantation have not been defined as yet. In our centre, maximum INR, bilirubin level, and white cell count, together with age have proven to be reliable predictors of outcome. Future efforts in the management of ALF should concentrate on designing efficient supportive therapy and specific treatments to provide effective non-transplant therapeutic options.

Acute liver failure (ALF) carries a high mortality in children. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant agent that replenishes mitochondrial and cytosolic glutathione stores, has been used in the treatment of late acetaminophen-induced ALF and non-acetaminophen-induced ALF. In our unit, NAC was introduced as additional treatment for non-acetaminophen-induced ALF in 1995. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NAC in children with ALF not caused by acetaminophen poisoning. A retrospective review of medical records of 170 children presenting with nonacetaminopheninduced ALF between 1989 and 2004 was undertaken. ALF was defined as either international normalized ratio of prothrombin time (INR) Ͼ 2 and abnormal liver function or INR Ͼ1.5 with encephalopathy and abnormal liver function. Children were divided into the following groups: Group 1 (1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994), standard care (n ϭ 59; 34 [58%] male; median age 2.03 yr, range 0.003-15.8 yr); and Group 2 (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004), standard care and NAC administration (n ϭ 111; 57 [51%] male; median age 3.51 yr, range 0.005-17.4 yr). NAC was administered as a continuous infusion (100 mg/kg/24 hours) until INR Ͻ 1.4, death, or liver transplantation (LT). The median duration of NAC administration in Group 2 was 5 (range, 1-77) days. Complications were noted in 8 (10.8%) children: rash in 3, arrhythmia in 3, and dizziness and peripheral edema in 1. One child had an allergic reaction (bronchospasm) and NAC was stopped. A total of 41 (71%) children in Group 1 vs. 85 (77%) in Group 2 required admission to intensive care, P ϭ not significant (ns). The length of intensive care stay was 6 (range, 1-58) days in Group 1 vs. 5 (range, 1-68) days in Group 2, P ϭ ns and length of hospital stay was 25 (range, 1-264) days vs. 19 (range, 1-201) days, P ϭ 0.05. The 10-yr actuarial survival was 50% in Group 1 compared to 75% in Group 2, P ϭ 0.009. Survival with native liver occurred in 13 (22%) in Group 1 vs. 48 (43%) in Group 2, P ϭ 0.005; 15 (25%) in Group 1 died without transplant vs. 21 (19%) in Group 2, P ϭ ns; and LT was performed in 32 (54%) vs. 42 (38%), P ϭ ns. Death after transplantation occurred in 15 (39%) in Group 1 vs. 8 (16%) in Group 2, P ϭ 0.02. In conclusion, NAC is safe in non-acetaminophen-induced ALF. In this retrospective study NAC was associated with a shorter length of hospital stay, higher incidence of native liver recovery without transplantation, and better survival after transplantation. Liver Transpl 14: [25][26][27][28][29][30] 2008 See Editorial on Page 7Acute liver failure (ALF) in children is a rare but often fatal condition without liver transplantation (LT). [1][2][3] Multiorgan dysfunction in ALF is believed to derive from oxidative stress due to reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species 4 and from immunological injury mediated by cytokines. 5-8 N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a thiol-containing agent that scavenges free oxygen radicals and replenishes cellular mitochon...

Effect of in utero growth retardation on lung function at follow-up of prematurely born infants. A. Greenough, B. Yuksel, P. Cheeseman. #ERS Journals Ltd 2004. ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to determine if prematurely born children who had suffered intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) had more severe lung function abnormalities than those born an appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA).Analysis of the lung function results of 119 infants (median (range) gestational age of 30 (23-35) weeks) was undertaken. In total, 31 of the infants had suffered IUGR and were born small for gestational age (SGA). Functional residual capacity and airways resistance (Raw) were measured at a median post-natal age of 10 (6-24) months. Specific airway conductance (sGaw) was calculated from thoracic gas volume and Raw.The SGA children were born at a greater gestational age and had a lower body weight at testing than the AGA children. Raw and sGaw differed between the SGA and AGA children. Regression analysis demonstrated that lung volumes were significantly related to body weight at testing, Raw was related to IUGR, maternal smoking and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and sGaw to maternal smoking.In conclusion, these results suggest that prematurely born infants who have suffered intra-uterine growth retardation may be at increased risk of impaired lung function at follow-up. Eur Respir J 2004; 24: 731-733.