The Weschler Intelligence Scales for Children was applied to 64 epileptic children and 60 healthy subjects; patients followed chronic treatment with valproic acid (n = 32) or phenobarbital (n = 32). None of the children suffered mental retardation or neurological abnormalities. The test was repeated after a 9–12 month interval: 26 of the valproatetreated children and 23 of the phenobarbital‐treated children performed the second evaluation. At baseline, total, verbal and performance IQ scores of children receiving phenobarbital were lower than those of controls. When the results of the first and the second tests were compared, a significant increase in IQ scores was detected among controls and patients treated with valproic acid, but not among phenobarbital‐treated patients. It is concluded that long‐term phenobarbital therapy induces a significant impairment in learning ability whereas long‐term vaiproate therapy does not exert a noticeable noxious effect at this respect.

USG needle biopsy is safe and effective for diagnosing both focal and diffuse splenic lesions. The risk of bleeding may be lower with FNA than with CNB.

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Idiopathic adulthood ductopenia is a chronic cholestatic entity of unknown origin that was discovered in the past decade. Although it is classically a progressive and severe disease, a benign and responsive-to-therapy form has been reported recently. We present two middle-aged females that represent the extremes of the clinicopathologic spectrum: One with a severe form of the disease for whom liver transplantation was considered and the other with a benign form.