Timing of Kasai Procedure for Biliary Atresia: An Analysis of the Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Biliary atresia is a rare liver disease of unknown etiology affecting approximately 1 in 10,000 children. This disease initially presents as inflammatory obstruction of bile ducts leading to cholestasis and eventually fibrosis of hepatic tissue. Affected patients are ideally treated early with portoenterostomy (Kasai procedure) as age at surgery is an important prognostic factor for native liver survival and need for liver transplant. This study aimed to evaluate the age at which patients in the United States are receiving this procedure. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric database was used to identify patients between 2012 and 2021 who underwent a primary procedure of portoenterostomy. The age at time of surgery and perioperative analysis was performed. The data underwent simple descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Eight hundred twenty four patients were identified who underwent Kasai procedure. Four hundred seventy four (58.2%) were female with the predominant race being White (49.5%). The median age at surgery was 57 d old (interquartile range 41-71). Readmission and reoperation rates within 30 d were 30% and 15.2%, respectively. There were no deaths within 30 d. CONCLUSIONS: Within the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, the median age of pediatric patients undergoing Kasai procedure for biliary atresia in the United States exceeds the goal of 45 d. Further studies are needed to investigate factors that may affect time to diagnosis and time to Kasai procedure.