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Query: UMLS:C0019209 (hepatomegaly)
 5,798 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Abnormal liver chemistries, unexplained fevers, or hepatomegaly prompted 36 liver biopsies on 34 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The most common finding was the presence of hepatic granulomas, seen in 13 of the biopsy specimens. Eight of these granulomas were ill-defined, and 5 were more clearly associated with mycobacterial disease. Portal fibrosis and fatty infiltration were common, but a paucity of significant inflammatory activity was seen despite elevated aspartate aminotransferase levels, perhaps related to the underlying immunoincompetent status. Other noteworthy histopathologic findings included 1 patient each with peliosis hepatis and cryptococcal hepatitis. Electron-microscopic evidence of cytoplasmic tubular structures or viral particles were seen within the hepatocytes of 2 patients. It is concluded that a broad spectrum of hepatic histopathology may be seen in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and that liver biopsy may be diagnostically valuable in the clinical investigation of such patients.
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PMID:The spectrum of liver disease in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. 372 95

The hormonal milieu that follows the ingestion of contraceptive agents promotes the growth of hepatic tumors, particularly hepatocellular adenomas. Evidence that the use of contraceptive drugs can also cause carcinoma of the liver is less convincing; this article describes the cases of 2 young women who had taken contraceptives and contracted hepatocellular carcinoma. Both women had no prior history of liver disease and died as a result of the carcinoma. Hepatocellular carcinoma has been a distinctly uncommon disease in the U.S. ranging in incidence from 0.23-0.47% in reported autopsy cases and being typically described as occurring mostly in men over 50 and associated with preexisting cirrhosis. Recent surveys show a greater proportion of female patients; in the U.S. patients at risk now include women in the reproductive age group with no history of prior liver disease. Some recorded changes in the human liver caused by oral contraceptives (OCs) include: 1) impairment of bile secretory function, 2) hepatomegaly associated with peripheral and midzonal sinusoidal congestion, and 3) peliosis hepatis. Significant risk factors in the occurrence of hepatic tumors in OC users are: 1) prolonged usage (1-3 years), 2) age over 30, and 3) use of compounds of high hormonal potency. Products containing mestranol have been implicated to a greater degree than those containing ethinyl estradiol. The link between use of OCs and development of hepatocellular carcinoma is not certain; however, the latter has been firmly linked with the use of anabolic steroids in men. Specifically only the C-17 substituted anabolic steroids oxymetholone and methyltestosterone have been implicated which are closely related to the C-17 substituted 19-norsteroids used in OCs. The following observations have also been made: 1) when hepatocellular carcinoma occurs in women it is mostly in those of reproductive age, and 2) OCs are associated with the development of benign hepatic tumors. Withdrawal from OCs is almost uniformly recommended after definitive diagnosis of a hepatic tumor along with surgery to avoid the risk of rupture and possible mortality.
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PMID:Oral contraceptives and cancer of the liver: a review with two additional cases. 628 82

Peliosis has been described rarely in patients with chronic renal failure. The case reported shows the difficulty of diagnosis in a chronic hemodialysis patient with painful hepatomegaly, chronic ascites and cachexia. The rarity of this lesion under such circumstances, if the etiologies described in the literature are taken into account, is discussed.
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PMID:Peliosis hepatis in a chronic hemodialysis patient. 663 61

A case is described wherein a 29 year old woman was admitted to the hospital because of the possibility of a hepatic tumor; symptoms included abdominal pain, diffuse hepatic enlargement and absence of uptake in an area of the right hepatic lobe. After a normal pregnancy and delivery 11 years earlier the patient used oral contraceptives (OCs) composed of norethindrone with mestranol until 8 years before entry; 5 years before admission she resumed use of an OC containing norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol. She smoked 1.5 packages of cigarettes and drank 1 glass of wine daily, and there was no history of nausea, vomiting, melena, jaundice, dark urine, light stools, hepatitis, or blood transfusions. Benign lesions which are known to be caused by OCs fall into 2 groups: designated focal nodular hyperplasia and liver-cell adenoma. The evidence linking the latter with OCs is more convincing since in case-controlled studies the risk of development of adenomas has been shown to increase with the estrogen strength of the OCs and duration of use; in women who have been taking OCs over 7 years the relative risk is 500 times that for matched control nonusers. The vascular complications of OC therapy include Budd-Chiari syndrome, peliosis hepatis, and periportal sinusoidal dilatation. The patient in this case was diagnosed to have periportal and midzonal hepatic sinusoidal dilatation association with OC medication. She underwent an operation on her liver which proved to be successful combined with cessation of OC use. The mechanism by which OCs cause these lesions is not known. In 5 of 13 cases similar to the one described here clinical and biochemical abnormalities resolved and 1 patient had a follow-up liver biopsy that revealed normal findings 10 months after cessation of OC therapy; there is no evidence to suggest that sinusoidal dilatation is irreversible.
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PMID:Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Weekly clinicopathological exercises. Case 40-1982. Tender hepatomegaly in a 29-year-old woman. 711 Feb 74

Two cases of peliosis hepatis, treated with a large dose of predonine for aplastic anemia and multiple myeloma, respectively, were reported. Case 1 showed no abnormal liver function, but, in Case 2 hepatomegaly, retention of ICG, and elevation of LDH level despite the normal serum transaminase were noted. In both cases, peliotic lesions were incidentally observed at autopsy. In Case 1, the lesion was localized in the right lobe only, but, in Case 2 the lesion was present throughout the entire lobes of the liver involving also a part of the spleen and bone marrow of the sternum. Innumerable blood-filled cavities were surrounded by incomplete reticulin or injured hepatocytes. In smaller lesions observed in Case 1, focal necrosis, hemorrhage, inflammation, and thrombi were prominent features. On the other hand, in extensive lesions, as in Case 2, a marked liver cell dissociation with sequent irregular reticulin arrangement was present. Though the etiology and peliosis hepatis is still uncertain in these cases, it was assumed that a large dose of predonine might have some correlation to the occurrence.
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PMID:Peliosis hepatis. Report of two autopsy cases with a review of literature. 713 99

The authors report a case of Fanconi's disease equilibrated for a period of 8 years by androgen therapy. The patient died after interruption of treatment; the clinical picture comprised hepatomegaly, jaundice, pancytopenia. The autopsy showed hepato-splenic peliosis and acute tuberculosis. The subject of peliosis is brought up to date by a thorough review of current literature and the relationships between steroid treatment and hepatic complications are discussed.
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PMID:[Fanconi's disease associated with hepato-splenic peliosis (author's transl)]. 722 98

Case reports are presented that link the use of oral contraceptives (OCs) to liver disease, particularly to the Budd-Chiari syndrome. This syndrome is caused by occlusion of hepatic veins and although a causative relation between OC use and this syndrome is not proven, these facts support an association: 1) the known increased incidence of venous thrombosis in women using OCs; 2) data from a review of 164 cases of the syndrome showed that in 1959 men and women suffered the syndrome about equally, but since 1975 after the introduction of OCs another study reported women contracting the disease twice as often as men; 3) the syndrome is associated with pregnancy; and 4) since the 1975 study, association with the pill was found in 16 reported cases. Clinically, the average age of these 16 women with OC-associated Budd-Chiari syndrome was 32 years. Length of time before onset of symptoms after beginning OC therapy varied from 2 weeks to 8 years (mean 23.8 months). In most cases, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distension were present. Hepatomegaly and ascites were described in most cases and splenomegaly in less than half. Liver function abnormalities were nonspecific. Prognosis is not good, and management techniques for the syndrome have been largely unsuccessful. Metabolic alterations of steroids as they pass through the liver may account for the syndromes associated with OC use. 3 major diseases or effects are linked with OCs: hepatic dysfunction, cholestatic jaundice, and benign hepatic tumors and peliosis hepatis; these, however, are benigh complications compared with the severity of contracting Budd-Chiari syndrome, and the clinician should respect a woman's decision not to use the pill in the face of such disease-inducing possibilities.
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PMID:Oral contraceptives and liver disease. 726 Aug 2

The original TORCH complex described clinically similar congenital infections caused by Toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus, types 1 and 2. Cutaneous manifestations, including petechiae, purpura, jaundice, and dermal erythropoiesis, are commonly seen in toxoplasmosis, rubella, and cytomegalovirus infections. In herpes simplex virus infections, 80% of symptomatic infants show single or grouped cutaneous vesicles, oral ulcers, or conjunctivitis. Extracutaneous signs and symptoms are variable and can be severe. Significant clinical signs in congenital toxoplasmosis include diffuse intracerebral calcification, chorioretinitis, and microcephaly; congenital rubella can result in deafness, congenital heart disease, retinopathy, and brain calcification. Cytomegalic inclusion disease can include hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, paraventricular calcification, and intrauterine growth retardation. Localized or disseminated congenital herpes virus infection often involves the central nervous system and the eye. Diagnosis is confirmed by culture and identification of species-specific immunoglobulin M within the first 2 weeks of life. Histological examination contributes to the diagnosis in herpes simplex virus infection. Treatment for toxoplasmosis includes pyrimethamine with sulfadiazine or trisulfapyrimidine; congenital herpes simplex virus infection is treated with acyclovir. No specific therapy for congenital rubella or cytomegalovirus infections has been established, and so treatment is primarily supportive.
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PMID:TORCH syndrome. 764 Feb

Recent attempts to reduce weight by patients with anorexia nervosa have sometimes led to life-threatening hematologic complications. This report describes an instance in which a patient with anorexia nervosa and pancytopenia drastically improved with treatment that included administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. The patient had lost 27 kg of body weight within 8 months. Even after admission, the blood cell count continued to decrease rapidly as follows: platelet, from 244 x 10(3)/microliters to 44 x 10(3)/microliters; erythrocyte, from 4.04 x 10(6)/microliters to 2.58 x 10(6)/microliters; and leukocyte, from 4.8 x 10(3)/microliters to 1.6 x 10(3)/microliters (granulocyte, 0.8 x 10(3)/microliters). Complications included pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, purpura, petechiae, hepatomegaly, fever, gangrenous stomatitis, and somnolence. Bone marrow aspiration disclosed absence of fat cells, marrow hypoplasia, and infiltration of the mature lymphocytes. Intravenous hyperalimentation, blood transfusion, gamma-globulin, and antibiotics were administered, but leukopenia and fever remained. However, administration of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor dramatically reversed the leukopenia and fever. With careful nutrition therapy, the patient's blood cell count and bone marrow normalized by the time of discharge. It was concluded that severe hematologic disorders may occur in patients with anorexia nervosa, and advanced treatment may be required to save the patient's life.
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PMID:Case report: reversal of severe leukopenia by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in anorexia nervosa. 768 51

Peliosis is an uncommon condition characterized by multiple-blood-filled cavities mostly involving the liver. Although the etiology is unknown the condition may be associated with several disease states and medications. We report the MR findings of peliosis hepatis in a patient with Fanconi anemia who had been treated with anabolic androgenic steroids for 3 years. The MR examination of the upper abdomen was performed on a 0.5 T system. The signal intensity of the right lobe of the liver was diffusely increased in all sequences. Within the enlarged liver, multiple foci of brighter signal were seen involving both right and left lobes. The lesions showed contrast enhancement. A cystic cavity with an enhancing rim was seen representing a haematoma cavity. The spleen was spared the patient died of sepsis and the postmortem examination confirmed the diagnosis of peliosis hepatis.
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PMID:MR findings in peliosis hepatis. 776 Nov 58


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