Background: Postoperative outcomes of portoenterostomy (PE) and redo-PE were evaluated using selected biochemical markers (SBM) and biochemical status categories (BSC).
Methods: Subjects were 70 consecutive PE performed for biliary atresia. SBM were aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT), cholinesterase (ChE), and platelet count (PLT) assessed at 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months, thence annually for a maximum of 10 years. BSC were: all SBM normal (N-SBM), normal AST/ALT (N-SLT), normal ChE (N-ChE), normal PC (N-PLT), all abnormal (A-SBM), abnormal AST/ALT (A-SLT), abnormal ChE (A-ChE), abnormal PC (A-PLT). Subjects achieving jaundice clearance (JC) and surviving with native livers (SNL) also had gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (γGTP) assessed. Redo-PE indicated for failed PE were assessed postoperatively using the same SBM/BSC protocol. Results: PE were laparoscopic (LPE; n=40) or open (OPE; n=30). Mean age/weight at PEand duration of follow-up were similar. For JC, LPE=34/40 (85.0%), OPE=22/30 (73.3%); p=0.23. For SNL, LPE=29/40 (72.5%), OPE=16/30 (53.3%); p=0.10. LPE and OPE were similar for SBM/BSC, except for a single significant increase in ALT in OPE at 6 months.Redo-PE was performed 17 to 180 days (mean 67.1 days) after primary PE. AST was significantly increased at the last pre-redo assessment 3 months after primary PE; p<0.05.After redo, AST decreased and SBM/BSC results were equivalent to non-redo subjects.
Conclusion:Postoperative biochemical data for all PE cases were comparable; redo-PE would appear to be viable for restoring SBM, and AST could be valuable as a single marker of deterioration in redo cases.