Biliary Atresia: Biliary-Enteric Drainage or Primary Liver Transplant?

Abstract

The paper from LeeVan et al entitled "Biliary-Enteric Drainage vs Primary Liver Transplant as Initial Treatment for Children with Biliary Atresia" is a retrospective cohort study that examines long-term outcomes for children with biliary atresia (BA) through analysis of information obtained from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), an administrative database. Specifically, the authors compare outcomes between a cohort of BA patients who underwent a biliary enteric drainage (BED) procedure (presumably a Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy) as the primary therapy to those who underwent a primary liver transplant (pLT) without a previous BED.