Biliary Atresia

Jaundice that persists beyond 3 weeks of age can be a warning sign of a serious problem, including liver disease. The common finding of physiologic jaundice often makes early recognition of liver disease difficult in the first two months of life.

Biliary atresia, which affects only one in every 15,000 infants, is a liver disease that presents with neonatal jaundice; infants often appear to be “well” or “healthy” despite the jaundice. Because the incidence of biliary atresia is low, families and medical personnel may benefit from a reminder of the warning signs of biliary atresia in order to establish the diagnosis early enough to minimize serious complications.

Biliary Atresia Publications

• Biliary Atresia Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Biliary Atresia Poster (PDF)
• Hepatology Brochure (PDF)

Publications

• MR Cholangiography in the Evaluation of Neonatal Cholestasis: Initial Results
• A Multi-center Study of Outcome in Biliary Atresia in the United States
• Biliary Atresia: A Transplant Perspective
• Biliary Atresia: A Ray of Hope

At Children’s Hospital, we are dedicated to helping children with liver disease by exploring all treatment options — maximizing liver function, minimizing complications and maintaining growth and development — all to improve the quality of life for each child and family.