Optic nerve hypoplasia in cholestatic infants: a multiple case study

Brain imaging in children with neonatal cholestatic liver disease: A systematic review

AIM

To determine if children with neonatal cholestatic liver disease had concurrent and later findings on brain imaging studies that could be attributed and the cholestasis to contribute to the understanding of the impaired neuropsychological development.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched on July 21, 2022, and updated on March 26, 2023. Studies with children under 18 years of age with neonatal cholestasis and a brain scan at the time of diagnosis or later in life were included. Excluded studies were non-English, non-human, reviews or conference abstracts. Data were extracted on demographics, brain imaging findings, treatment and outcome. The results were summarised by disease categories. Risk of bias was assessed using JBI critical appraisal tools.

RESULTS

The search yielded 12 011 reports, of which 1261 underwent full text review and 89 were eligible for inclusion. Haemorrhage was the most common finding, especially in children with bile duct obstruction, including biliary atresia. Some findings were resolved after liver transplantation.

CONCLUSION

Children with neonatal cholestasis had changes in brain imaging, which might play a role in impaired neuropsychological development, but longitudinal clinical research with structured assessment is needed to better qualify the aetiology of the impairment.

Pediatric liver diseases and ocular changes: What hepatologists and ophthalmologists should know and share with each other

Several rare pediatric liver disorders are accompanied by ophthalmic signs whose awareness and early identification may be of value in confirming/accelerating their diagnosis. Many of these signs are asymptomatic and can only be detected with an ophthalmological examination. Corneal signs are described in patients with Wilson's disease, Alagille's syndrome and some liver storage diseases. Cataract plays an important role to diagnose galactosemia. Retinal involvement is seen in some peroxisomal disorders (e.g. Zellweger's syndrome), in mucopolysaccharidoses (pigmentary retinopathy), and in Niemann-Pick disease (macular cherry red spot). In mucopolysaccharidoses optic nerve can be involved as optic atrophy secondary to pigmentary retinopathy or to chronic papilledema. Children with neonatal cholestasis due to hypopituitarism may present septo-optic dysplasia. Several infectious agents have an ophthalmological/hepatic involvement in the fetal life and/or thereafter. Some mitochondrial liver diseases, such as Pearson's syndrome, present pigmentary retinopathy and a chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia. Finally, some drugs while protecting the liver may damage the ocular system as seen with long-term glucocorticoids and Nitisinone administration. This review provides a synopsis of those conditions that hepatologists and ophthalmologists should share among themselves to better take care of patients. Synoptic tables are presented to facilitate the mutual understanding of the issues.

Occurrence and pattern of ocular disease in children with cholestatic disorders

PURPOSE

To describe visual function and ocular manifestations in patients with onset of cholestasis during the neonatal period.

METHODS

Patients with neonatal cholestasis, either transitory or chronic, who came for assessment to our tertiary referral centre were included in a cross-sectional study and underwent ophthalmological examinations including fundus photography. A total of 57 patients (24 girls and 33 boys), aged 0.4-18.0 years, were included. Of these, 28 patients had biliary atresia, 11 had Alagille's syndrome, five had progressive familiar intrahepatic cholestasis and nine had different disorders such as pituitary insufficiency, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, mitochondriopathy, congenital infections or cholestasis caused by unknown reasons.

RESULTS

Visual dysfunction and/or one or several ocular manifestations occurred in 39 out of 57 patients. Major ocular malformations occurred in five patients. Out of three patients with biliary atresia, one patient had severe visual impairment caused by microphthalmia and chorioretinal coloboma, one patient with Cat Eye syndrome had bilateral uveochorioretinal coloboma and one patient had Rieger's anomaly. Two patients, both with pituitary deficiency and transient cholestasis, had severe unilateral visual impairment caused by optic nerve hypoplasia.

CONCLUSION

The majority (68%) of the patients with cholestasis had ocular manifestations. Although the severity of ocular complications varied with diagnosis, and was most apparent among patients with biliary atresia or pituitary deficiency, no conclusion can be drawn regarding the connections between these conditions from the present study. Nevertheless, ocular assessment is important for diagnostic purposes and for early intervention in patients with cholestasis.

Optic nerve hypoplasia and growth hormone deficiency in a cholestatic infant

This report describes a 4-month-old male with cholestasis, hypoglycemia, and short stature. Symptoms appeared since neonatal age with jaundice, hypoglycemia, neurologic manifestations, and later with short stature. Laboratory investigation was indicative for cholestasis. Further research indicated isolated growth hormone deficiency with accompanying optic nerve hypoplasia. Unexplained hypoglycemia and cholestasis in neonates have to be investigated for growth hormone deficiency. Moreover, in cases with unexplained cholestasis, timely recognition of hypoglycemia is important for the early diagnosis of the disorder before the appearance of growth retardation.

Nordic research in ophthalmology

Nordic ophthalmologists and vision scientists are active in many fields of eye research. This is most evident at the biannual Nordic Congress of Ophthalmology, most recently held in Malmö in June 2004. The authors here review some of the research in vision and ophthalmology presented at this meeting or published recently by Nordic scientists. This paper does not represent a comprehensive review of all Nordic research in the field, but attempts to give an overview of some of the activities underway in eye research in this part of the world.

Visually impaired children with posterior ocular malformations: pre- and neonatal data and visual functions

AIM

To analyse pre- and neonatal data and ocular findings in children with visual impairment caused by posterior ocular malformations.

METHODS

Medical records were scrutinized, dried blood spot cards were analysed for virus DNA and ophthalmological assessments were performed in 28 children with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and 10 with optic/chorio-retinal coloboma.

RESULTS

Prenatal exposure to possible teratogens was documented in 5/28, herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA was identified in the dried blood spot cards of 1/26 children and neonatal hypoglycaemia in 12/28 children with ONH. The time delay from ocular to endocrinological diagnosis and treatment was 3 years. Children with ONH and severe visual impairment had endocrinopathy more often (11/13) than ONH children with better visual functions (5/15). Prenatal exposure to teratogens or neonatal hypoglycaemia was not identified in any of the children with coloboma.

CONCLUSION

Neonatal hypoglycaemia was common in children with ONH. Severe visual impairment predicted endocrinopathy. Analysis of dried blood spot cards could serve as an additional diagnostic tool in children with ocular malformations.