Patient's question:
My little nephew was only two months old when he started refusing to breastfeed, developed jaundice all over his body, and became fussy. We took him to a community hospital nearby for a check-up. The doctor suspected we had biliary atresia and recommended an ultrasound. I would like to ask how to rule out biliary atresia in newborns?Doctor's answer:
The incidence of biliary atresia is relatively low. Don't worry too much. If the liver and bile ducts are normal, this possibility is very small. An ultrasound examination can be performed. Ultrasound is the most commonly used initial screening method. If the gallbladder is well-developed and can be reduced to 50% of its original volume after a meal, this condition can be ruled out, because when biliary atresia occurs, the empty gallbladder appears as a thin, elongated cyst, or the gallbladder cannot be detected.