Studies in Neonatal Hepatitis and Biliary Atresia

Abstract

THE neonatal, or giant cell, form of hepatitis is characterized by elevations of conjugated serum bilirubin levels during the earliest months of life. Until the etiologies of this condition are discovered, it seems simplest to employ this single diagnostic label. While the clinical and histological features of neonatal hepatitis have been fairly clearly defined,^1-3little is known about the long-term outlook. Significant numbers of infants with neonatal hepatitis develop chronic liver disease.⁴We therefore investigated the prognosis and factors affecting the outlook of infants with this condition. Materials and Methods Charts, autopsy protocols, and microscopic sections collected over a 15-year period (July 1950 to June 1965) at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, were examined. Infants with idiopathic obstructive jaundice of at least two weeks' duration during the first 4 months of life were considered as having cases of neonatal hepatitis, whether diagnosed with the aid of surgical