Therapeutic management of biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is a bile duct disease of unknown origin that causes neonatal jaundice. It is the leading cause of liver transplantation in children, accounting for 40%. This is because the corrective technique, Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE), biliary drainage gets only about 60% of cases. Despite correct drainage, 20% reach adulthood with their native liver, and a large part of them with liver complications and suboptimal quality of life. These data make continuously rethink the therapeutic management of this disease and if the transplant could be the treatment of choice. The objective of this review is to update scientific information in order to determine the best strategy in managing the disease.

From the bibliographic, a search was conducted with the terms “biliary atresia” and “treatment”. Due to liver transplantation at an early age means worse, today most scientific information supports the KPE as first choice and transplantation as secundary therapy.