Impact of Age of Patient and Experience of Surgeon on the Outcome after Kasai Portoenterostomy: Can We Delay the Surgery?

Introduction:  Age of patient and experience of biliary atresia (BA) center are well-known factors associated with early jaundice clearance (EJC) after Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) in infants with BA. This study focused on the impact of age and surgeon factor on the short-term outcome after KPE within a single center.

Materials And Methods:  Fifty-four consecutive infants (18 boys and 36 girls) who underwent KPE from January 2010 to January 2020 were reviewed. KPE was performed in the earliest available operative session once the initial work-up was completed. In group A ( = 41), KPE was performed by surgeon A. In group B ( = 13), KPE was performed by specialists under the supervision of surgeon B (who is the mentor of surgeon A) when surgeon A was not available for operation. The demographics of patients, the EJC (total bilirubin <20 μmol/L within 6 months of KPE), and 2-year native liver survival (NLS) between the two groups were studied.

Results:  The median age at operation was 52 days (range 26-135 days). The overall EJC rate and 2-year NLS were 85.2 and 89.4%, respectively. Group A ( = 0.015) and male gender ( = 0.029) were statistically associated with EJC but not the age at operation ( = 0.101). Group A was also statistically associated with superior 2-year NLS ( = 0.047).

Conclusion:  Balancing between the impact of age at operation and the experience of surgeon on the outcome after KPE, our result suggested that KPE may be deferred until a more experienced surgeon to operate.