Laparoscopic Kasai Portoenterostomy Has Similar Surgical Outcomes and Better Urine Output Compared to Standard Open Kasai- Portoenterostomy: A Ten-year Retrospective Cohort Study

Biliary atresia is (BA) a rare biliary tree disease. This disease, which is usually found in infancy is characterized by biliary inflammation and obliteration. The incidence variate from 1 in 5000 to 20000. However, high prevalence rate up to 1 in 5-10,000 was comparatively noted in eastern Asia, especially in Japan and Taiwan. Biliary atresia can be treated by "Kasai operation" ( Kasai portoenterotomy) or liver transplantation. In the previous study, 60% of biliary atresia patients after receiving Kasai portoenterostomy could have better liver prognosis.The timing of Kasai operation is also crucial, increased age of surgery had negative influence in the long-term follow up.

Traditionally, Kasai portoenterostomy was performed by open surgery. As the progression and popularity of minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic Kasai was first introduced in 2002 and then performed in many countries. However, the advantage of laparoscopic Kasai seems still controversial due to many indicative outcomes as early jaundice clearance, native liver survival (NLS) and liver transplantation rate within 1 year after the Kasai operation even adhesions prevention seems no better maybe worse in laparoscopic group.But in our hospital, no statistically significant differences were observed for hospital stay and outcomes (including early jaundice clearance rate, episodes of cholangitis, and 2-year native liver survival rate) between the open and the laparoscopic Kasai operations.Even the better operation view was noted in laparoscopic group but operation time seems almost all prolonged in laparoscopic one compared to open one, that makes excessive fluid infusion and hypothermia easily found in laparoscopic group . However, no hypothermia and laryngeal edema were noted in our hospital compare to previous study