title: Fulminant hepatic failure secondary to neoplastic infiltration of the liver.
abstract: Two patients with previously normal liver function, who presented with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) of unknown etiology despite an extensive evaluation, are described. No etiology for FHF was apparent with initial evaluation. One patient was found to have nearly complete replacement of hepatic parenchyma by metastasis from an occult small cell lung carcinoma identified postmortem. The other patient had lymphomatous infiltration of the liver detected by a liver biopsy. Imaging studies were performed in the patients and did not reveal any evidence of neoplastic infiltration of the liver. Neoplastic involvement of liver should be considered in the differential diagnosis of FHF of unknown etiology. The imaging studies in this setting can be misleading.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195-6424, USA.
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rajvanshi
authors.forename: Kris V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Kowdley
authors.forename: William K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Jerome B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.forename: Emmet B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Keeffe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed