Conditions We Treat

Acute liver failure happens when the liver suddenly stops working as it should. Several conditions can lead to this sudden illness, including:

• Autoimmune hepatitis: A chronic disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack the liver.
• Genetic/metabolic diseases: A group of conditions that disrupt the body’s ability to process nutrients, including Wilson’s disease, fatty acid oxidation defects, and some mitochondrial disorders.
• Hepatic drug toxicity: Caused by over-consumption of certain medications, including acetaminophen and NSAIDs.
• Indeterminate non-A, non-B and non-C hepatitis: Hepatitis that is not caused by known viruses A, B or C.
• Neonatal hemochromatosis: A rare liver disease that causes excessive iron buildup.
• Viral hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver caused by a virus.

Some liver conditions progress slowly over time and can lead to long-term damage. These are a few of the chronic illnesses that may affect a child’s liver function:

• Autoimmune hepatitis/sclerosing hepatitis/overlap syndrome: Occurs when a patient exhibits signs of both conditions
• Biliary atresia: A liver disease in newborns that causes blocked bile ducts.

Certain conditions children are born with can affect how their liver works and may lead to ongoing injury or liver failure. These genetic and metabolic disorders include:

• Alagille syndrome: An inherited condition that causes bile to build up in the liver because there are not enough bile ducts to drain the bile.
• Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency: Prevents the body from producing enough AAT protein, which protects the lungs and liver.
• Cystic fibrosis liver disease: Occurs when the thick, sticky mucus associated with cystic fibrosis blocks the bile ducts in the liver, leading to inflammation, scarring and problems with normal liver function.
• Familial cholestatic syndromes (e.g., PFIC1 2 or 3): Cause genetic mutations that result in abnormal bile secretion or production.
• Tyrosinemia: A genetic metabolic disorder that prevents the body from properly breaking down the amino acid tyrosine.

Because the liver plays such a significant role in processing nutrients and removing waste, liver-based metabolic disorders can impact other organs as well, including:

• Crigler–Najjar syndrome: Affects the liver’s ability to process bilirubin
• Glycogen storage disease: A group of inherited disorders that disrupt the body’s ability to process glycogen, a form of sugar that stores energy
• Hyperoxaluria: Causes excess oxalate in urine, increasing the risk of kidney stones.
• Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD): A rare inherited disorder that prevents the body from breaking down certain amino acids. 
• OTC deficiency: A disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme that removes ammonia from the body.
• Urea cycle disorders: A group of genetic conditions that affect the function of the proteins and enzymes that move ammonia out of the blood.

Some childhood liver tumors cannot be removed with surgery alone and need specialized care. These rare tumors include:

• Embryonal sarcoma: A rare cancer that forms in the lobes of the liver.
• Hemangioendothelioma: A rare form of cancer found in the cells lining blood vessels.
• Hepatoblastoma: A rare liver cancer in children that starts in the liver’s developing cells and most often affects infants and young children.
• Hepatocellular carcinoma: A rare type of liver cancer that develops in the main liver cells, called hepatocytes.