Case: A male infant was born at 36th week period of gestation with a birth weight of 1.99kg following an uneventful intrauterine period. At birth, he was noted to have multiple skin nodules. The largest nodule measuring 4.0 x 2.0 x 1.5 cm was at his pre-auricular area. It was initially fleshy and reddish in color. A few days later, it turned black and subsequently the black skin overlying the mass fell off, leaving a firm underlying mass with the appearance of a cauliflower. Other skin lesions, which were firm in consistency, were found on the medial aspect of his right supraorbital ridge, right mid-arm, right mid-thigh, plantar surface of his right big toe and his scalp. They were either skin-colored or reddish in colour, measuring between 1.0 and 2.0 cm in diameter. He also had hepatomegaly and splenomegaly palpable at 5 cm and 3 cm below the subcostal margins, respectively
A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the magnitude, clinical course and risk factors of cholestasis in surviving very low birth weight (VLBW) infants who received parenteral nutrition at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Cholestasis was defined as direct hyperbilirubinaemia of >34 mmol/L. Between 1St July 2000 to 31St March 2001, 58 VLBW infants received parenteral nutrition (PN). Forty seven infants survived to discharge. Complete data was obtained from 43 (90.1%) infants. Thirteen (30.2%) of these infants developed cholestasis. The cholestasis persisted beyond the age of 6 weeks in 8 infants and they underwent hepato imino diacetic acid (HIDA) scan. The HIDA scan was reported as normal in 2 infants and inconclusive in 6 infants. Operative cholangiography. (OTC) was then performed in these infants and were all normal. The cholestasis finally resolved in all infants. Analysis of risk factors revealed that duration of assisted ventilation and PN and the presence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) had significant correlation with the development of cholestasis. These factors together with lower mean gestational age increased the likelihood of persistent cholestasis beyond 6 weeks of life in these infants. In conclusion cholestasis is common in VLBW infants who received parenteral nutrition. Although the clinical course seems benign, in a significant proportion of these infants it may persist longer and put them at increased risk of requiring invasive investigations.