All issues > Volume 13(8); 1970

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1970;13(8):466-462. Published online August 31, 1970.

Clinico-Pathological Evaluation of Hepatomegaly in Childhood (emphasized on the needle biopsy finding of hepatomegaly unknown etiology)

Chung-Kyu Kim¹, Chui-Hee Lee¹, Du-Bong Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Catholic Medical College Seoul, Korea

Abstract

In this study, authors attempted to evaluate the hepatomegaly without any clinical symptoms of liver disease in childhood. Thirty children were selected for this study, their age distribution was from three years to fifteen years of life. Ten, nine and eleven cases of these subjects had the enlarged liver over 4. 5 cm, 3. 5 cm to 4. 0 cm., and below 3. 5 cm. below right costal margin respectively. The liver biopsy used by Menghini’s needle was performed in all cases with liver function tests, and the histologic findings were compared to the results of biochemical studies. The results were as follows; 1. The results of liver function studies showed the elevation of Thymol Turbidity Test in fifteen cases and the increased the serum globlin fraction in twenty-five cases. But there was no correlation between chronic active hepatitis and the abnormal liver function tests. 〜 2. Six children had chronic active hepatitis which proven histologically by needle biopsy. Four of them had either a history of acute hepatitis or clinical evidence of liver disease and two children were in state of malnutrition. 3. Four in eleven children who had malnutrition showed the histologic findings of diffuse fatty liver. 4. The histologic findings of nonspecific reacitve hepetitis had seen in seven and they had eitermalnutrition, nephritis, upper respiratory infection or heart disease. Through this histo-pathologic snudy authors has been impressed that First; Children’s liver showed physiologically more actively regenerative than adult’s liver. This evidence may play a role in hepatomegaly in non-liver diseased children. Second; The incidence of chronic active hepatitis and fatty liver in this series may suggest that considerable number of children has the possibility of progressive liver damage going to chronic active hepatitis after an acute episode of hepatitis in childhood. Third; Diagnostic significance of needle biopsy of the liver in children who had the questionable hepatomegal was approval.

Keywords :