Biliary
atresia is a condition that affects babies, who are born with the condition. The operation, other than a liver
transplant, which can cure the condion is known as a
Kasai-poroenterostomy.
Biliary atresia is the condition in which the bile duct, whcih carries bile from the liver is blocked. This prevents the normal flow of bile. Symptoms include jaundice,yellow-coloured urine and pale stools. If the conditon is treated early (in the first 8 weeks of life) the child should not suffer from liver damage.
A Kasai-poroenterostomy involves the creation of a new bile duct from a loop of bowel. The operation is very intricate, and within the UK there are only three centres at which it is performed. Thankfully biliary atresia is relatively rare, occuring at a rate of approximately 1 case per million population per year.