Congenital hepatic fibrosis with gastrointestinal bleeding in early infancy.

We report a case of a 19-month-old infant with congenital hepatic fibrosis. The clinical features consisted of portal hypertension with massive gastrointestinal bleeding, recurrent cholangitis, and cystic dysplasia of the kidneys, without impairment of renal function. The dramatic course of the disease required surgical treatment. Congenital hepatic fibrosis with life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding is extremely rare below three years of age. The purpose of the present report is to stress the need of looking for varices in all cases of congenital hepatic fibrosis, even when occurring in early infancy.