[Cholestasis associated with prolonged parenteral nutrition in neonates: the role of urso-deoxycholic acid].

Introduction: The morbidity associated with prematurity occasionally leads to the use of prolonged parenteral nutrition, with the subsequent development of cholestasis being one of its complications.

Patients And Methods: This is a two year retrospective study which compared biochemical markers of liver damage and cholestasis in premature babies who received or did not receive urso-deoxycholic acid for parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis.

Results: Of a total of 24 recruited patients 17 received urso-deoxycholic acid and 7 did not. In the treated group significant decreases (P<0.05) in gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and conjugated bilirubin were found after four and five weeks of treatment, respectively. Moreover, a significant correlation (P<0.01) between conjugated bilirubin and duration of total parenteral nutrition was established.

Conclusions: Patients who were promptly treated with urso-deoxycholic acid showed a more rapid decrease in biochemical markers of cholestasis, but not of cytotoxicity in the hepatobiliary complications secondary to prolonged parenteral nutrition. However, the present study has limitations derived from its design and therefore it would be desirable launch a randomized trial with sufficient power to evaluate the benefits derived from prophylactic or therapeutic use of urso-deoxycholic acid in the hepatobiliary conditions associated with the prolonged use of parenteral nutrition in the premature infants.