Problems in Survivors of Biliary Atresia -5 or More Year After surgery-

Abstract

Hepatic porto-enterostomy or Kasai's original Roux-en Y portojejunostomy was done on 56 patients during the 1980-1985 period. Seventeen patients or 30 per cent had survived more than 5 years at the end of 1990, and are presently being followed up. Average survival age is 7.5 years after surgery. No survivor has clinical or laboratory jaundice. Esophageal varices were demonstrated in 8 patients (47%), and 4 had bleeding episodes. Five patients or 29 per cent had more than one episode of hospitalization for cholangitis. Growth was above 75 per centile in height in 53 per cent. Nine patients(53%) have normal liver function, showed neither varix and nor ascites. Good prognostic factors for 5 year survival were an operative age of 60 days or less, mild fibrosis of the liver, and a big fibrotic mass at the porta hepatis at the time of surgery.