Biliary Atresia Program

The Biliary Atresia Program at Riley at IU Health provides multidisciplinary care to children with this liver condition. Our doctors work with other specialists through a monthly biliary atresia clinic, which is located in a single location at MSA 2 within the Riley Outpatient Center. Through our program, all specialty doctors and specialized nurses involved in treating biliary atresia come to see your child at the clinic.

Your child will receive care from a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, pediatric surgeon, dietitian and specialty research nurses. These doctors collaborate on patient care, participate in research and also provide education to families, which is an unusual combination for such a program.

Treatments for biliary atresia include:

• Special nutrition. Our dietitian works with you and your child to make sure he or she gets the nutrients needed to stay as healthy as possible.
• Kasai procedure. This surgery connects the liver to the small intestine in order to go around the blocked ducts.
• Liver transplant. Children who continue to have liver scarring after a Kasai procedure may experience liver failure. If this happens, they may need a liver transplant sometime before they become adults.

Even with treatment, some children with biliary atresia still experience problems such as cirrhosis (scar tissue in the liver), bleeding, poor nutrition and poor brain function. Our specialists will work closely with your child to monitor and manage any or all of these conditions.