Biliary Atresia Program

Departments Banner Biliaryartesia

Biliary atresia is a liver condition that is present at birth and affects the bile ducts. When the ducts are blocked, bile does not flow to the gallbladder and small intestine, where it is needed to digest food. Infants and children with the condition are slow to gain weight and their skin looks yellow from jaundice.

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.

Conditions Treated

Our pediatric specialists provide patient- and family-centered care for most related conditions. The links below provide more specific information about some, but not all, of the conditions that we treat.

Services Offered

We offer a number of different Biliary Atresia Program services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our program.

Doctors

Services provided through the Biliary Atresia Program are managed by our specialized pediatric hepatology and gastroenterology doctors.

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    Locations

    Locations

    In addition to our primary hospital location at the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis, IN, we have convenient locations to better serve our communities throughout the state.

    Riley Outpatient Center at IU Health

    Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
    575 Riley Hospital Dr
    Indianapolis, IN 46202

    317.944.3774

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    Program Forms & Resources

    The Biliary Atresia Program at Riley at IU Health provides the following forms for parents, healthcare providers and personnel. We have also curated relevant resources from other websites and provided links with brief descriptions of the information that is available.

    Resources

    • American Liver Foundation

      This website provides education and support resources for patients and families living with biliary atresia.

    • The Childhood Liver Disease Research Network

      This national group of doctors, nurses and researchers combines the Biliary Atresia Research Consortium and the Cholestatic Liver Disease Consortium. It provides extensive information on biliary atresia symptoms and treatments as well as tips on how to live with the condition.

    • GIKids

      The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition sponsors this website, which provides patient outreach and education for children and families living with biliary atresia.

    Related Departments

    We provide multispecialty care for a number of conditions. Below are links to our related departments.

    For Health Professionals

    The Biliary Atresia Program works closely with referring physicians to diagnose and treat children with biliary atresia. Program physicians also participate in research studies and take part in training medical students and other medical professionals.

    Refer A Patient

    Refer A Patient

    Riley at IU Health works with referring physicians in Indiana and beyond.

    Refer A Patient

    Research

    Visit the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at Indiana University School of Medicine for information about the latest in pediatric gastroenterology research.

    Education

    Physicians who work in the Biliary Atresia Program share their knowledge with medical students, residents and fellows.

    Education Resources: