Familial intrahepatic cholestatic cirrhosis in young adults.

Two siblings with intrahepatic cholestatic cirrhosis and their brother, who had a potentially related disease at the time of accidental death, are presented. The onset of disease occurred during adolescence in all 3 cases. The initial sign was mild jaundice or portal hypertension. There was no abnormality in the countenance, cardiovascular system, or vertebral column. Except for the brother who died from an accident, jaundice gradually increased. Death followed due to cirrhosis. Liver biopsy specimens of these 2 patients showed diminution of interlobular bile ducts with no significant cholangitis. At autopsy, the livers of the 2 patients showed biliary cirrhosis without extrahepatic biliary obstruction. In both cases there was an accessory lobe on the right hepatic lobe. Histologically, septal bile ducts showed pronounced papillary proliferations of the epithelium; there was also a decrease in the number of small interlobular bile ducts. Excess copper accumulation in the liver was ascertained. It is suggested that the disease in the 2 autopsied cases is intrahepatic cholestatic cirrhosis due to hypoplasia of the intrahepatic biliary trees.