Loss of intrahepatic bile ducts: an important feature of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare, fatal disorder of early infancy. We report two siblings with FHL whose symptoms were dominated by hepatic failure. Both presented with sudden-onset fever and hepatosplenomegaly with progressive abnormalities of clinical biochemistry indices of liver function. One died of hepatorenal failure. The other underwent liver transplantation. Autopsy and explant liver displayed portal and periportal infiltrates of T lymphocytes and histiocytes; an activation of the hepatic mononuclear phagocytic system with focal hemophagocytosis; and almost complete loss of interlobular bile ducts. Paucity of bile ducts dominated in a pre-transplant liver biopsy specimen (and transiently obscured the diagnosis of FHL). Disease recurred in the allograft, again with lymphohistiocytic infiltration and destruction of interlobular bile ducts. Consequently the patient underwent haploidentical peripheral stem cell transplantation. This patient is alive 5 years later. Loss of bile ducts may be an important feature of hepatic involvement by FHL.