Pediatric Surgeon Dr Victoriya S Staab Performs Complex Kasai Procedure to Treat Rare Bile Duct Disorder

Pediatric general surgeon Victoriya S. Staab, M.D., is performing the Kasai procedure, a complex surgical procedure to treat biliary atresia, a rare congenital condition in infants that requires surgical treatment within the first weeks of life to avoid liver failure Newborns diagnosed with biliary atresia are often born with or develop an obstruction in their bile ducts. During the Kasai procedure, Dr. Staab identifies the blockage and carefully removes it by performing a thorough dissection into the liver. She then reconstructs the path of the liver’s drainage into the intestines. “Bile flow can be re-established in approximately 80 percent of infants who undergo the Kasai procedure,” said Dr. Staab, who performs the procedure at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. “We are able to achieve the best results when the condition is diagnosed early and we perform the surgery during the first eight weeks of life.”

Symptoms of Biliary Atresia

Symptoms typically appear within a few weeks after birth due to an abnormal accumulation of bile in the liver and include:

• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, called jaundice, that lasts more than a few weeks
• Dark yellow or brown urine
• Pale or clay-colored stools
• Enlarged liver and spleen
• Poor weight gain