Biliary atresia

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Bile produced in the liver

Digestive system

• Jaundice, a yellow color of the skin and eyes
  • May be seen at birth or develop over several months
  • May get worse (progress) or come and go (intermittent)
• Slow or no weight gain
• Slow growth in a child 0 - 5 years old
• Irritability
• Dark urine
• Splenomegaly (enlarged spleen)
• Pale or clay-colored
• Floating stools
• Foul-smelling stools

The health care provider will perform a physical exam, which includes feeling the patients belly area. The doctor may feel an enlarged liver.

Tests to diagnose biliary atresia include:

• Blood bilirubin level -- usually increased
• Abdominal x-ray
• Abdominal ultrasound
• Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan, also called cholescintigraphy -- helps tell if the bile ducts and gallbladder are working properly
• Cholangiogram, an x-ray of the bile ducts
• Liver biopsy to determine degree of cirrhosis or to rule out other causes of jaundice

Review Date: 12/11/2006
Reviewed By: Rachel A. Lewis, MD, FAAP, Columbia University Pediatric Faculty Practice, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.