Transient hepatic nodular lesions associated with patent ductus venosus in preterm infants.

We report on two cases of low-birth-weight preterm infants with patent ductus venosus associated with hepatic hypoechoic lesions of the fourth segment in an otherwise normal liver. Although tumorlike hepatic lesions have been previously reported in association with portosystemic shunts in children and adults, they were never described in preterm infants during physiological patency of ductus venosus. In our patients, hepatic lesions disappeared shortly after the spontaneous ductus closure. Physiopathologic interactions are discussed regarding altered portal blood supply caused by ductus venosus shunt.