1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-2-50-a 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-2-7-2 Nutritional Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Fatty Liver and MCT Diet in Intractable Epilepsy http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 07 1988 01 08 2016 2 7 50 50 Copyright: © 1988 The Author(s) 1988 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Fatty liver and medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet

Fatty infiltration of the liver in 4 children treated with the medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet is reported from the Depts of Paediatrics and Radiology, Leeds General Infirmary, Belmont Grove, Leeds, England.

 Fatty Liver Medium Chain Triglyceride Seizure control

Fatty infiltration of the liver in 4 children treated with the medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet is reported from the Depts of Paediatrics and Radiology, Leeds General Infirmary, Belmont Grove, Leeds, England. This was not associated with hepatic dysfunction and resolved after discontinuing the diet. The patient's ages ranged from 4 to 12 years. The seizures were astatic myoclonic in pattern and resistant to medications, including sodium valproate, clobazam, or carbamazepine. The duration of the diet was 2 to 3 years at time of diagnosis by ultrasound scan and, in one case, by liver biopsy. Triglyceride and cholesterol levels were normal in 2 and liver function tests normal in 3 patients tested. Seizure control was improved during treatment with the MCT diet. [1]

COMMENT. The mechanism of the fatty liver infiltration was undetermined. The standard ketogenic diet is not always associated with a significant increase in serum lipids but it is accompanied by a fall in blood pH, standard bicarbonate, and blood sugar [2]. The accumulation of excess hydrogen ion within the liver cell is cited as one possible mechanism of fatty change in the liver. The concomitant therapy with anticonvulsant drugs, particularly valproate, might also be contributory.

 Beverley D Arthur R Fatty liver and medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet Arch Dis Child 1988 Jul 63 7 840 2 10.1136/adc.63.7.840 3137894 Millichap JG Jones JD Rudis BP Mechanism of Anticonvulsant Action of Ketogenic Diet. Studies in Animals with Experimental Seizures and in Children with Petit Mal Epilepsy Am J Dis Child 1964 Jun 107 593 604 10.1001/archpedi.1964.02080060595008 14133819