Tag Archives: bile lakes

Biliary Atresia and Bile Lakes

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A retrospective study (DA Ginström et al. JPGN 2019; 488-94) review cholangitis associated with biliary atresia and the role of bile leaks.  This study encompasses a ~30 year period (1987-2016) and 61 patients.

Key findings: 

  • 54% had survived with their native liver at a median of 7.3 years; 28 (46%) had ≥ 1 cholangitis episodes/year
  • Cholangitis bouts were >5 times higher among patients with bile lakes
  • Management of bile lakes after 1995 (n=6) was with operative intestinal drainage (bile-lake jejunostomy) which resulted in disappearance or regression of bile lakes in all patients.  Associated with this, yearly cholangitis bouts decreased from 8.8 (4.2-14) to 1.1 (0.2-3.2). Prior to 1995, two patients were managed with PTCD; both died within one year.
  • Among patients who had surgical drainage of their bile lakes, 4 have survived jaundice-free and 2 received liver transplants at 1.3 and 4.9 years after intestinal drainage.

My take: This report provides insight into the management of bile lakes (also referred to as intrahepatic biliary cysts) indicating that bile-lake jejunostomy is effective in symptomatic patients.

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