A study on hepatic portoenterostomy for the treatment of atresia of the biliary tract.

The results of our investigation have shown the crucial points of hepatic portoenterostomy used by us which is different from Kasai's portoenterostomy. First, the dissection of the rudimentary extrahepatic bile duct should be performed under magnification. Second, the transection of the rudimentary extrahepatic bile duct should be done using the microsurgical technique. Third, histologic verification of patency of the rudimentary extrahepatic bile ducts with frozen section during the operation should be carried out and the transection should be repeated under microsurgical control until the patency of the intrahepatic bile ducts at the porta hepatis area is confirmed. Fourth, the opening of the jejunal loop should be anastomosed quite close to the cut edge of the rudimentary extrahepatic bile duct at the porta hepatis by removing the mucosa of the posterior aspect of the jejunal opening. Fifth, the Suruga II procedure has been extremely successful in decreasing the incidence of postoperative ascending cholangitis and in preventing death in those infants who have postoperative ascending cholangitis develop. Sixth, if bile flow ceases postoperatively in spite of the forementioned technical refinements, then the curettage procedure should be carried out to the anastomotic site at the porta hepatis in order to resume bile flow.