Diseases

Fulminant Hepatic Failure

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Fulminant hepatic failure (fhf) is usually defined as the severe impairment of hepatic functions or severe necrosis of hepatocytes in the absence of preexisting liver disease. However, unlike in adults, encephalopathy may be absent, late, or apparent in children only at the terminal stages.

SYMPTOMS

Encephalopathy.
Cerebral edema: may lead to signs of increased intracranial pressure (icp) (eg, papilledema, hypertension, bradycardia)
Jaundice: often present but not always.

CAUSES

Fulminant hepatic failure is characterized by the rapid development of severe liver injury with impaired synthetic function and encephalopathy. Most common, fhf iscaused by toxin-induced or viral hepatitis, but can result from a wide variety of causes. The mainstay of therapy is orthotopic liver transplantation.