08 March 2017
: Case report
A Proposed Physiopathological Pathway to Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy in a Non-Cirrhotic Patient with Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma without Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Mutation
Challenging differential diagnosis, Unusual setting of medical care, Rare disease, Educational Purpose (only if useful for a systematic review or synthesis)
Rodrigo C. Surjan1ABDEF*, Elizabeth S. dos Santos2BE, Tiago Basseres1AB, Fabio F. Makdissi3ADF, Marcel A. Machado1ADEFDOI: 10.12659/AJCR.901682
Am J Case Rep 2017; 18:234-241
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyperammonemic encephalopathy is a potentially fatal condition that may progress to irreversible neuronal damage and is usually associated with liver failure or portosystemic shunting. However, other less common conditions can lead to hyperammonemia in adults, such as fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinical awareness of hyperammonemic encephalopathy in patients with normal liver function is paramount to timely diagnosis, but understanding the underlying physiopathology is decisive to initiate adequate treatment for complete recovery.
CASE REPORT: A 31-year-old male with fibrolamellar carcinoma and peritoneal carcinomatosis presented with rapid onset hyperammonemic encephalopathy. Despite usual treatment for hepatic encephalopathy, his hyperammonemia was aggravated. A physiopathological pathway to encephalopathy resulting from hepatocellular dysfunction or portosystemic shunting was suspected and proper treatment was initiated, which resulted in complete remission of encephalopathy. Thus, we propose there is a physiopathology path to hyperammonemic encephalopathy in non-cirrhotic patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma independent of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) mutation. An ornithine metabolism imbalance resulting from overexpression of Aurora Kinase A as a result of a single, recurrent heterozygous deletion on chromosome 19, common to all fibrolamellar carcinomas, can lead to a c-Myc and ornithine decarboxylase overexpression that results in ornithine transcarboxylase dysfunction with urea cycle disorder and subsequent hyperammonemia.
CONCLUSIONS: The identification of a physiopathological pathway allowed adequate medical treatment and full patient recovery from severe hyperammonemic encephalopathy.
Keywords: Ammonia, Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Liver Neoplasms, Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase Deficiency Disease
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
30 June 2022 : Editorial
Med Sci Monit In Press; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.937676
29 June 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.936896
16 June 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.936498
13 June 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.936889
In Press
30 Jun 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.937061
30 Jun 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.936896
30 Jun 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.936967
29 Jun 2022 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.936313
Most Viewed Current Articles
23 Feb 2022 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.935250
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e935250
17 Feb 2022 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.934399
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e934399
06 Dec 2021 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.934406
Am J Case Rep 2021; 22:e934406
09 Feb 2022 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.934744
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e934744