Clinical aspects on neonatal cholestasis based on observations at a Swedish tertiary referral centre

The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical aspects of neonatal cholestasis. The medical records of 85 cholestatic infants were retrospectively reviewed. A majority of the patients were referred from other parts of the country. The most common diagnoses were extrahepatic biliary atresia (n = 30 patients), alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (n = 11) and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (n = 11). On presentation, the biliary atresia group had higher mean serum values of bilirubin, G-GT and cholesterol than the patients with intrahepatic cholestasis, with no significant differences noticed for any other biochemical parameter. A lack of excretion on hepatobiliary scintigraphy was noticed in all investigated patients with biliary atresia, but also in 9 of 34 patients with intrahepatic neonatal cholestasis. There was no statistical correlation between the age at portoenterostomy and the outcome in patients with biliary atresia. However, both the detection of a partial flow on perioperative cholangiogram and the establishment of a non-icteric phase within 6 mo after the portoenterostomy correlated to a good outcome. Eight of 11 patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis were treated with a biliary diversion procedure, five of eight experienced a sustained cholestatic remission.

Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis may be a more common cause of neonatal cholestasis in Sweden than reported elsewhere and that the experience with biliary diversion is positive. While early referral in patients with extrahepatic biliary atresia remains important, a portoenterostomy should be attempted also in patients referred after 3 mo of age.