Periodic bile cultures and irrigation of the external jejunostomy for cholangitis in biliary atresia.

We retrospectively investigated the use of periodic bile cultures and irrigation of the external jejunostomy for prevention or treatment of postoperative cholangitis in 11 infants who had undergone the Suruga II modification with external jejunostomy for biliary atresia. Periodic cultures obtained from bile in the external jejunostomy were done weekly in all patients. Staphylococci were first cultured 1 week after operation, followed by intestinal flora such as enterococci, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, or Enterobacter. Most of the cultures revealed two or more microorganisms. Susceptibility testing indicated the effective antibiotics for the treatment of each case of cholangitis. Therefore, periodic bile cultures and irrigation of the external jejunostomy provide important information for prevention or treatment of postoperative cholangitis, especially in the early postoperative period.