title: Acute liver failure in neonates.
abstract: Acute liver failure (ALF) in neonates is a rare but often fatal event. Though in adults and older children, a main symptom of ALF is hepatic encephalopathy, this is very difficult to diagnose and prove in infants. Causes of ALF in neonates encompass metabolic, infectious and haematological disorders, congenital vascular/heart abnormalities, and drugs. Infants with ALF should only be treated in specialised paediatric hepatology centres with facilities for liver transplantation, since for many liver transplant, with a long term survival of over 60%, is the only therapeutic option.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Liver Centre, Institute of Liver Studies, Variety Club Children's Hospital, King's College School of Medicine at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dhawan
authors.forename: Giorgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mieli-Vergani
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000209:etiology