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Prognostic implications of bile lakes after surgery for biliary atresia
Yumi Inoue1, Yoshifumi Kato, Tsuyoshi Tamura
1Department of Pediatric General and Urogenital Surgery, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.
Purpose:
The aim of the study was to establish the natural history of bile lakes (BLs) in patients with postportoenterostomy biliary atresia (BA) and assess their prognostic implications, in particular, if they are a risk factor for cholangitis.
Methods:
One hundred twenty-one postsurgical BA patients were divided into 2 groups as follows: period 1, or preliver transplantation era group (n = 56), and period 2, or liver transplantation era group (n = 65). Presence of BL and outcome were examined in relation to the incidence of cholangitis.
Results:
In period 1, there were more multiple BLs (MBLs) in nonsurvivors than survivors. Non-BL survivors had significantly lower mean total number of episodes of cholangitis than MBL survivors (P < .01). In period 2, 58 survived (native liver in 35; transplanted liver in 23). Bile lakes were present in 9/58 (16%) survivors (single in five, multiple BLs in four), and 1/7 (14%) nonsurvivors had MBLs. Mean total number of episodes of cholangitis in the 4 MBL survivors and the 49 non-BL survivors were not significantly different.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that presence of BL is a risk factor for cholangitis in the long-term but not in the short-term.
