Objective: To investigate the relationship between the ultrastructure of intrahepatic biliary canaliculi and the prognosis of congenital biliary atresia.
Methods: Liver biopsies from 25 patients who were operated on for congenital biliary atresia were examined under the transmission electron microscope. The relationship between the number of well-developed bile canaliculi and patient prognosis was studied.
Results: The survival rate for 13 patients with well-developed intrahepatic biliary canaliculi and 12 patients with poorly-developed intrahepatic biliary canaliculi were 92.3% (12/13) and 33.3% (4/12) respectively. The difference between two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Intrahepatic biliary canaliculi ultrastructure could be used as one of the prognostic factors in congenital biliary atresia.