title: Cystic biliary atresia: an etiologic and prognostic subgroup.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cystic biliary atresia (CBA) is an uncommon variant of biliary atresia (BA) in which prognosis may be relatively favorable but liable to misdiagnosis as choledochal cyst, and potentially offers insights into the etiology of BA. Because some cases can be detected antenatally, CBA in general may have its origins in utero life. We assessed our experience with CBA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-center retrospective review of infants with CBA over a 13-year period (January 1994 to December 2006) was done. Data are given as medians (range).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 270 infants with BA, 29 (9 male) were identified as CBA. Antenatal ultrasonography had detected an abnormality in 12 (41%) infants at a median of 22 weeks (17-34 weeks) of gestation. All infants underwent postnatal excision and Kasai portoenterostomy (KP). Those with antenatally detected CBA came to surgery younger (36 [14-67] vs 48 days [35-147 days], P = .004). Twenty cysts (69%) had a fibroinflammatory wall with no biliary epithelial lining and 6 (26%) contained bile. Age at KP was significantly and positively correlated (r = 0.46, P = .01) with liver fibrosis, as assessed in liver biopsy materials obtained at KP, but not with grade of "hepatocyte disarray" (P = .74). Twenty infants (69%) cleared their jaundice (bilirubin <20 mumol/L) within 6 months after KP. Age at KP markedly affected outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cystic BA is a clinically distinct variant of BA. Despite onset in prenatal life, earlier than presumed for isolated BA, it has a better prognosis, particularly with early surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, King's College Hospital, SE5 9RS London, UK.
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caponcelli
authors.forename: Alex S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Knisely
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davenport
mesh_terms: D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D003560:Cysts / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies