Question
I only learned two days ago that my sister’s child has congenital biliary atresia. I want to know how the child is doing now and whether this condition will lead to a descending direct bile duct.
Answer
Congenital biliary atresia is one of the most important digestive surgical diseases in pediatric surgery and is also the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Typical cases involve full-term infants, most of whom have no abnormalities and normal stool color. Jaundice usually becomes apparent gradually within 2-3 weeks after birth, and in some cases, it appears in the first few days after birth, when it may be misdiagnosed as physiological jaundice. Elevated bilirubin levels are primarily due to direct bilirubin.