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Am J Perinatol 2005; 22(8): 413-419
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-872592
Copyright © 2005 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Neonatal Hepatoblastoma: Two Cases Posing a Diagnostic Dilemma, with a Review of the Literature

Adel Sallam1 , Bosco Paes2 , Jacqueline Bourgeois3
  • 1Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine Programme, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • 2Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatal Division), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • 3Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
17 September 2005 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Hepatoblastoma accounts for less than 1% of all pediatric malignancies. However, it remains the most common malignant tumor of the liver in newborns. Less than 10% of hepatoblastoma cases are diagnosed in the neonatal period. The diagnosis can be very difficult due to the wide spectrum of presentation and differences in the size of the lesion at the time of detection either antenatally or during an infant’s neonatal course. In this review, we describe the current investigations used to establish the diagnosis of congenital hepatoblastoma and the role of a nuclear red cell scan as an additional strategy in the evaluation of this malignant condition. The report uses two cases of neonatal hepatoblastoma to highlight both the clinical and pathologic findings, and the problems encountered in the evaluation of this disorder.

KEYWORDS

Hepatoblastoma - congenital - diagnosis

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Bosco PaesM.D. 

Department of Pediatrics, Room 4G40, McMaster University

1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4J9

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