Diagnosis of sclerosing cholangitis in children: blinded, comparative study of magnetic resonance versus endoscopic cholangiography.

Summary Background Magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) has been validated as comparable to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) for the diagnosis of sclerosing cholangitis (SC) in adult patients. In children, MRC is widely used based mainly on non-comparative studies. Patients and methods ERCs and MRCs of seven children (median age 9, range: 7–20 years) with SC and 17 controls (median age 6, range: 2 months–20 years) with other chronic liver diseases were reviewed in a blinded, random and independent way. All patients underwent both examinations within a 6-months slot. All ERCs and 17 MRCs were performed under general anesthesia. One radiologist evaluated both ERCs and MRCs and …

A scoring system for biliary atresia: Is this the right one?

A retrospective study of the role of delta agent infection in children with HBsAg-positive chronic hepatitis.

The prevalence of intrahepatic delta antigen and/or anti-delta antibody was retrospectively investigated in 102 children with chronic HBsAg-positive hepatitis who were seen consecutively in three medical institutions between 1974 and 1982. Delta infection markers were found in 13 patients (12.7%) who exhibited high serum titers of anti-delta antibody; intrahepatic delta antigen was detected in ten. Eleven of the 13 children had severe progressive liver disease associated in all but one with absence of hepatitis B virus replication as evaluated by analysis of serum hepatitis B virus DNA. The factors which seem to increase the risk of delta infection in children who are hepatitis B virus carr…