A 5 week old term infant is jaundiced and has acholic stools. Her total serum bilinubin is 9 mg/dl (conjugated 7 mg/dl). Ultrasonography shows a small gallbladder, with no choledochal cyst or other abnormalities. Hepatobiliary (HIDA) scan after five days of phenobarbital treatment shows radionuclide uptake into the liver, but no excretion into the intestine at twenty-four hours. At operative exploration, a small gallbladder is identified. Aspiration of the gall bladder yields a small amount of green fluid. An operative cholangiogram shows free passage of contrast through the common hepatic duct into the duodenum, small right and left extrahepatic ducts, and absence of intrahepatic filling. The most appropriate management is :
A. biopsy of the liver and closure of the abdomen
B. resection of the extrahepatic ducts and reconstruction with hepatoportoenterostomy (Kasai procedure)
C. cholecystoportoenterostomy (gallbladder Kasai procedure)
D. irrigation of the extrahepatic ducts through gallbladder with 5% N-acetyleysteine
E. transduodenal sphincteroplasty
A. biopsy of the liver and closure of the abdomen
B. resection of the extrahepatic ducts and reconstruction with hepatoportoenterostomy (Kasai procedure)
C. cholecystoportoenterostomy (gallbladder Kasai procedure)
D. irrigation of the extrahepatic ducts through gallbladder with 5% N-acetyleysteine
E. transduodenal sphincteroplasty
Comment