Long-term results of splenomegaly after surgery for biliary atresia in the native liver

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare disorder characterized by obstructive jaundice in infants, shortly after birth. Postoperatively, some patients exhibit portal hypertension and progressive liver fibrosis. Splenomegaly is a symptom of portal hypertension. We aimed to investigate splenomegaly as a marker for complications of portal hypertension and the relationship between splenomegaly and liver fibrosis in the long-term native liver (NL). Methods: Between 1977 and 2018, 71 patients underwent hepaticojejunostomy. We included 54 patients (34 NL group, 20 liver transplant (LT) group) who fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Spleen volume (SV), total bile acids, hyaluronic acid, type IV collagen, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRi) were measured. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test, regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (P 0.05). Results: Total bile acids, hyaluronic acid, type IV collagen, and APRi increased in NL patients with a large SV at 25 years. SV and type IV collagen were correlated with NL for >25 years (r = 0.79 [P = 0.006], y = 1.1 - [0.03 x type IV collagen] [P = 0.008]). In the ROC curve analysis, the cutoff value for type IV collagen was 165 ng/mL (P = 0.07). Conclusions: We suggest that SV as a prognostic index for End-Stage Liver Disease may be useful in biliary atresia. Long-term follow-up is necessary because the clinical course may be favorable in childhood but worsen during adulthood. (c) 2021 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate spleen enlargement as a marker for complications of portal hypertension and its relationship with long-term native liver fibrosis in patients with biliary atresia. The results showed that total bile acids, hyaluronic acid, type IV collagen, and APRi increased in patients with spleen enlargement at 25 years. Spleen volume and type IV collagen were correlated with long-term native liver fibrosis.