User:Mr. Ibrahem/Biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is a disease that results in a progressive breakdown of the bile ducts both inside and outside the liver. Onset of symptoms is generally in the first few months of life with yellowish skin, grey colored stool, and enlargment of the liver. Complications can include malnutrition, cirrhosis, and liver failure.

The cause is frequently unknown. Occasionally it may occur along with other birth defects, known as embryonic biliary atresia. The underlying mechanism involves inflammation of the bile ducts. Diagnosis may be suspected based on blood tests and medical imaging with confirmation by liver biopsy or cholangiography.

The only effective treatments is surgery. Option may include the Kasai procedure or liver transplantation. Without surgery survival beyond 3 years is less than 10%. Long term survival with a person's own liver is about 25% despite surgery.

Biliary atresia occurs in about 1 in 15,000 newborns in Europe and North America. It is more common in Asia, with about 1 in 2,700 affected in Taiwan. The condition was first described in 1817 by John Burns. The current surgical technique came about in the 1950s.