Hypoxia and asymmetrical fibrosis of the liver in children.

The liver in children contains a greater amount of connective tissue in relation to parenchymal tissue than in adults and there is often more in the left than in the right lobe. Livers from 150 children who died between birth and 12 years of age, under different circumstances, were studied.The findings suggested that hypoxia was an important factor leading to increase in fibrous tissue in children's livers. Children who had cyanosis at birth and prolonged hypoxia associated with pathological conditions showed the highest ratio of connective tissue to liver parenchyma. The predominant non-hepatic lesions found were cyanotic congenital heart disease, coarctation of the aorta, acute respiratory distress, congenital malformation of the central nervous system, and shock after abdominal surgery.