Course of life into adulthood of patients with biliary atresia: the achievement of developmental milestones in a nationwide cohort.

Purpose: To investigate the course of life of young adults diagnosed with biliary atresia (BA) in infancy by comparing patients who did and did not underwent transplantation with an age-matched Dutch reference group.

Methods: All patients from the Dutch BA registry, aged >18 years, were invited to complete the course of life questionnaire.

Results: Forty patients participated (response = 74%).

Pediatric liver transplantation for metabolic liver disease: experience at King's College Hospital.

Aims: The aims of this article were to report a single-center experience of pediatric liver transplantation for liver-based metabolic disorders and to compare the outcome of cirrhotic versus noncirrhotic metabolic liver disease.

Methods: The medical records of 96 patients younger than 18 years undergoing transplantation for liver-based metabolic disorders from 1989 to 2005 were reviewed.

Results: Hundred twelve transplants were performed in 96 patients at a median age of 59.

Conversion of failed laparoscopic gastric banding to gastric bypass as safe and effective as primary gastric bypass in morbidly obese patients.

Background: To determine whether the medium-term outcome of secondary gastric bypass (SGB) after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is comparable to the outcome of primary gastric bypass (PGB) in morbidly obese patients in terms of complications and weight loss. Controversy exists among bariatric surgeons regarding the choice of primary operation for morbid obesity. Some prefer to start with LAGB as a low-risk operation for all patients and perform revisional surgery in the case of failure.