Ultrasounds are used to view the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. The liver and intestine are scanned by a nuclear medicine machine. If the isotope passes through the liver into the intestine, the bile ducts are open and the child does not have biliary atresia. The test that gives the most definitive diagnosis is a liver biopsy. A tissue sample is taken from your child s liver and examined for abnormalities, allowing biliary atresia to be distinguished from other liver problems.
Biliary atresia is an irreversible problem.
There are no medications that can be given to unblock the bile ducts or to encourage new bile ducts to grow where there were none before. Until that happens, biliary atresia will not be curable. However, two different operations can be done that will allow the child with biliary atresia to live longer and have a better quality of life. Your child s physician can help determine whether either of these operations are an option. Kasai portoenterostomy This operation connects the bile drainage from the liver directly to the intestinal tract.