The emergence of hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension in infants and children with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease

Long-term imaging and clinical findings are reported in six children whose polycystic kidney disease was detected in infancy or early childhood. Over time (2 years to 20 years) all patients developed portal hypertension from hepatic fibrosis, a problem primarily noted in recessive pattern polycystic kidney disease. Mild renal failure (two patients) was accompanied by serious systemic hypertension in the same patients. In one family, one of the babies also showed dilated right hepatic ducts. Imaging studies included urography and CT although recently ultrasonography was the method of choice. The relative renal and hepatic manifestations in these patients so changed with time that it would seem fallacious to attempt to use rigid classifications based on findings at initial diagnosis.