Reoperation for failure of portoenterostomy.

Over a four-year period, 18 children with biliary atresia have required portoenterostomy. Either because of failure of initial biliary output or failure to resume output after an episode of ascending cholangitis, reoperation on the portoenterostomy was performed in ten patients. Each of the patients had essentially no output before curettage. Seven of them are now long-term jaundice-free survivors; two did not respond to curettage and died, and one responded initially but subsequently ceased output and also died.