Patient's question:
A few days ago, my neighbor's uncle passed away due to biliary atresia. I feel very sorry for his family, and it also served as a wake-up call for me. Now I'm very worried that my family members might also develop this disease. Could you please tell me how long it takes for biliary atresia to be discovered at the latest?Doctor's answer:
Hello! Congenital biliary atresia is one of the most important digestive surgical diseases in pediatric surgery and also the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Typical cases involve infants who are full-term and mostly show no abnormalities, with normal stool color. Jaundice usually gradually appears 2-3 weeks after birth, and in some cases, jaundice may occur in the first few days of life and be misdiagnosed as physiological jaundice. Generally, if jaundice persists and liver function is abnormal, a liver and bile duct ultrasound should be performed.