Mental development, however, is usually normal. Bleeding into the gastrointestinal tract L iver damage may interfere with normal blood flow through the liver. As a result, blood from the intestine by-passes the liver, causing increased blood pressure in the veins of the stomach and esophagus. These veins may become enlarged and may begin to leak, causing internal bleeding. Infections E specially in children in whom the Kasai procedure relieves jaundice, infection can be a problem.
Infections can develop in the new drainage tube.
Symptoms of infection include fever and increasing jaundice. Infections are treated with antibiotics. The largest obstacle to the successful treatment of all children with liver failure from biliary atresia is the relative lack of liver donors in this age group for transplantation. N o precautions are possible as biliary atresia occurs without warning, only in infants, and is not passed from one person to another.