Every year around 50 babies a year are born in England and Wales with biliary atresia. Once the condition is spotted, they are sent for an operation called Kasai-poroenterostomy. If this fails, they will require a liver transplant. Three centres in England have expertise in the operation.
Biliary atresia is caused when the bile duct to the liver becomes inflamed.
This is normally due to damage caused around the time of birth. It is not clear how or why this occurs. The bile duct becomes blocked and means bile builds up in the liver and begins to poison it. The child will develop jaundice. Other symptoms include yellow-coloured urine and pale stools.