title: Idiopathic adulthood ductopenia.
abstract: In 1981, a 26 year old man occasionally demonstrated elevated serum transaminase concentrations. He had no history of medication, or a personal or family history of jaundice, except for prolonged physiological jaundice as a neonate. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus antibody and anti-mitochondrial antibody were absent. A wedge biopsy specimen revealed ductular proliferation, mild inflammation of the portal area and disappearance of bile ducts from 80% of the portal tracts. Serial sections demonstrated a vanishing bile duct. Endoscopic retrograde choledochopancreatography, portography and arteriography demonstrated no abnormalities. In 1994, the patient died of hepatic failure following a 12 year observation period. He was subsequently diagnosed with idiopathic adulthood ductopenia on the basis of the criteria proposed by Ludwig.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Urano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marui
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakanuma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male