title: Evidence for segmental bile drainage by hepatic portoenterostomy for biliary atresia: Cholangiographic, hepatic venographic, and histologic evaluation of the liver taken at liver transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The result of hepatic portoenterostomy for biliary atresia (BA) has improved, but there are some patients who experience worsened liver function in the long term after one decrease in jaundice owing to portoenterostomy. However, the cause of the liver dysfunction in the long term has not been clearly ascertained.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five patients (5 to 28 years of age) with BA underwent liver transplantation (LT) because of liver dysfunction after successful portoenterostomy. To clarify the cause of liver dysfunction occurring in the long term, the authors performed a cholangiogram, hepatic venogram, and macroscopic/microscopic examination of the liver just after LT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Macroscopically, the liver could be divided into 3 areas, the hypertrophic, atrophic, and intermediate, with findings between those of the hypertrophic and atrophic areas. (2) The divided areas clearly corresponded to the liver segments. Segment IV was the hypertrophic area in all patients, but segments VI and VII were the atrophic areas in 4 of the 5 patients. (3) Based on the cholangiographic and microscopic findings, the hypertrophic area had near-normal structure with bile ducts. The atrophic area had severe fibrosis and contained only a few bile ducts in the intralobular spaces of liver.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that segmental bile drainage must have been established by hepatic portoenterostomy in some patients and that some postoperative patients might have worsened liver function in the long-term follow-up period accompanied with progression of fibrosis and impaired bile drainage. These pathologic changes occur in each liver segment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery I, Faculty of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asao
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001646:Bile; D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002758:Cholangiography; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D011171:Portoenterostomy, Hepatic; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery