Patient's question:
My younger sister's baby was just born, and the baby's stool is milky white. After going to the hospital for a check-up, it was diagnosed as biliary atresia. Surgery was performed, but there was only slight improvement, and the bile ducts are still not unblocked. The bilirubin level has been above 200. What is biliary atresia in babies?Doctor's answer:
Childhood biliary atresia is a congenital disease, referring to fibrosis, solidification, or the presence of only tiny bile ducts. The primary function of the bile duct is to drain bile. In biliary atresia, bile cannot flow into the intestine, which can lead to systemic jaundice, persistent elevation of bilirubin, progressive liver enlargement, splenomegaly, and sustained elevation of portal venous pressure. This can trigger upper gastrointestinal bleeding, manifesting as hematemesis and melena. Therefore, biliary atresia poses a severe threat to children. Although the Kasai procedure can be performed on affected children, it only saves the lives of one-third of them.