Laparoscopic hepatojejunostomy for biliary atresia.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of laparoscopic hepatojejunostomy for types I and II biliary atresia (BA). Materials and Methods: Between April 2003 and July 2007, 10 children with “correctable” types I and II BA were enrolled for the study. They presented with progressive jaundice, pale stools, and elevated aspartate transferase and alanine transferase levels. There were 6 girls and 4 boys, with ages ranging from 23 to 160 days (median, 53). All BA had cysts of extrahaptic bile ducts. There were 6 type I and 4 were type II BA. The median diameter of the cysts was 1.5 cm (range, 1.0–1.8). All 10 children underwent laparoscopic cyst excision with Roux-en-Y hepatojejunostomy. Four trocars were inserted. The distal end of the cyst was resected.and a Roux-en-Y hepatojejunostomy was fashioned. The patients were followed up on median for 26 months (range, 4–51). Results: The median duration of the operation was 3.0 hours (range, 2.4–3.2). There were no intraoperative comp...