title: Retinal neurodevelopmental assessment with electroretinogram in patients with biliary atresia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deficiency on the development of retinal function in children with biliary atresia (BA), we examined serum fatty acid levels and performed electororetinogram (ERG) in patients with BA.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group was composed of one male and four female BA patients (8-14 years) with serum bilirubin levels ranging from 0.40 to 1.48 mg/dL. All of the subjects were born as full-term infants. The fatty acid composition of total lipids in serum was analyzed by gas chromatography before the Kasai operation, approximately 10 months after the Kasai operation, and at the time of the ERG study. The ERG was recorded using corneal contact lens electrodes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two of the five patients showed decreased levels of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) before and after the operation, but no abnormal findings on ERG were detected in these patients. The other three patients had decreased levels of alpha-linolenic acid or DHA after the operation, but again, no abnormalities were found on ERG.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that insufficiencies of DHA and other n-3 PUFA in full-term infants might not have an influence on later ERG results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oguchi
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: Tekeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyano
authors.forename: Mutsuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D004596:Electroretinography; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids