Results showed the optimal urinary copper diagnostic was 40 g/24h which had a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 88%. Researchers found no significant difference in urinary copper after PCT in either WD patients or control subjects. "The data found by Iorio et al. demonstrates that the current AASLD guideline approach to the diagnosis of WD-obtaining a slit lamp exam, a serum ceruloplasmin and a 24-hour urine copper followed by a liver biopsy in some patients-is useful even in young, clinically asymptomatic children," confirmed Dr. Michael Schilsky, Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery at Yale University Medical Center, in his and Dr. Rosencrantz's editorial also publishing this month in Hepatology.

Dr. Iorio concluded, "Establishing a WD diagnosis in children with mild liver disease is often problematic. Our study determined that genetic diagnosis is critical and the WD scoring system is a reliable method of analysis for these pediatric patients."

These studies are published in Hepatology.

Source: Wiley-Blackwell