A family was studied in which three members in the sibship belonging to the fourth generation were found to have Rotor’s syndrome. More detailed examinations including blood studies, liver profiles, oral cholecystograms, and liver biopsies where performed on the affected siblings. The results were related to what is at present known about the features and mechanisms of Rotor’s syndrome, pari passu the current concept of bilirubin metabolism. It is suggested that the constant finding, and possibly the only characteristic one in Rotor’s syndrome, is the absence of abnormal hepatic cell pigmentation. Pedigree analysis of the present family shows that the transmission of this disorder may be conditioned by an autosomal recessive gene.
Hyperbilirubinemia, Hereditary