Prognostic Factors for Cholangitis in Biliary Atresia Patients Following Kasai Procedure.

Introduction: Biliary atresia (BA) is an intra- and extrahepatic biliary system disease that causes biliary tract obstruction. If left untreated, patients with BA will undergo cirrhosis, cholangitis, liver failure, and even mortality in the first year of life. Kasai procedure is the mainstay of treatment for BA which increases the survival of BA patients; however, complications might occur following surgery, including cholangitis. We determined the association between prognostic factors, including age at Kasai surgery, sex, and liver function on cholangitis in BA patients after Kasai procedure. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design to see the outcomes of BA patients after the Kasai procedure. The sample used is data from the medical records of BA patients who have undergone Kasai procedures between 2012 and 2017. Results: This study involved 26 BA patients; 11 (42.3%) patients had cholangitis, and 15 (57.7%) did not. Most (61.5%) patients were males. The median age at the Kasai procedure was 97 days. The cut-points for the age of Kasai surgery, total bilirubin, SGOT, SGPT, γGT, and ALP were 86 days, 11.2 mg/dL, 145 U/L, 119 U/L, 812 U/L, and 456 U/L, respectively. However, no prognostic factors reached a significant level as a predictor of post-Kasai cholangitis (p>0.05). Conclusion: Age at Kasai surgery, sex, and liver function might not affect the incidence of cholangitis in BA patients after Kasai procedure. Our study provides additional evidence that cholangitis is a multifactorial event following the Kasai procedure and that many variables are involved in its pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Malaysian Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences is the property of Universiti Putra Malaysia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)