Protocols of investigation of neonatal cholestasis : a critical appraisal

• Autor(a) principal: Quelhas, Patrícia
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Jacinto, Joana, Cerski, Carlos Thadeu Schmidt, Oliveira, Rui Caetano, Oliveira, Jorge, Carvalho, Elisa de, Santos, Jorge Luiz dos
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFRGS
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10183/267276
• topic: Colestase intra-hepática; Recém-nascido; Revisão; Diagnóstico diferencial; Atresia biliar; Cholestasis; Neonatal; Diagnosis; Differential; Biliary atresia; Neonatal intrahepatic

Neonatal cholestasis (NC) starts during the first three months of life and comprises extrahepatic and intrahepatic groups of diseases, some of which have high morbimortality rates if not timely identified and treated. Prolonged jaundice, clay-colored or acholic stools, and choluria in an infant indicate the urgent need to investigate the presence of NC, and thenceforth the differential diagnosis of extra- and intrahepatic causes of NC. The differential diagnosis of NC is a laborious process demanding the accurate exclusion of a wide range of diseases, through the skillful use and interpretation of several diagnostic tests. A wise integration of clinical-laboratory, histopathological, molecular, and genetic evaluations is imperative, employing extensive knowledge about each evaluated disease as well as the pitfalls of each diagnostic test. Here, we review the difficulties involved in correctly diagnosing the cause of cholestasis in an affected infant.