Distended abdomen

Hello

Do all children with liver complaints have large abdomens? My daughter was born at 34weeks and underwent a kasai procedure 2 weeks ago when she was 2months old. She is on both antibiotics and steroids. Her tummy was larger than other infants at birth and continues to be quite big. Doctors say there is no need to worry if the tummy is soft..they have done an ultrasound and there is no fluid in the abdomen. They say the liver isn't enlarged either. So trying to understand why the tummy is big.

Does the tummy size ever go to normal if the child's liver function improves, or this is rhe way it always is?

Thanks for responding!

[Umie]

Hy my baby was born at 39 weeks and went for 3 week back ,her abdomen is also if but the doctor also said everything is fine, her stool were green after the procedures but now they just changed to being yellow n the doctors are now saying she’ll go for liver transplant because her LFT’s still high

[Roni_mc in reply to Umie]

My daughter has biliary Atresia and her stomach is sort of big but it was much bigger when she was younger . It seems that the older she gets the smaller it gets. Don’t get me wrong you still could tell she has stomach it pokes out but it’s definitely not as big as it use to be

[Hidden in reply to Roni_mc]

Thanks!

[Mase_turtle]

Hiya, my son had his kasai at 6weeks old. He also had a distended abdomen pre kasai. To this day his abdomen remain enlarged, especially on his right side where his liver is. He is now 6months old. From speaking to other BA parents, the abdomen stays enlarged but they grow into them. Hope this helps x

[Hidden in reply to Mase_turtle]

Thanks much! Helps to know what to expect

[MichelleCLDF Partner CLDF]

Dear BAmom

CLDF produce a leaflet on Biliary Atresia which may be useful for you to read as it details what can happen post Kasai. You can download this at childliverdisease.org/liver...

It sounds like your clinical team is monitoring the situation and hopefully this will settle as your baby grows. If you need any further information then please e-mail [e-mail]

Many thanks.

Michelle, Head of Support, CLDF

[Hidden in reply to MichelleCLDF]

Hi Michelle

I have another question. My daughter recently started passing very oily stools with visible oil droplets. We were told this is usual till adequate bile drainage is achieved for fat digestion to happen properly. The stools themselves are still pale green but the oil droplets are intense yellow or green. My question is: Is this color from bile, or something else?

Thanks much!

[MichelleCLDF Partner CLDF in reply to Hidden]

Dear BA mom, thanks for your question. I am not a medical expert, our organisation works with clinical specialists to produce our leaflets and information. It sounds like your clinical team are saying that the colour is due to the fact that the current situation in terms of fat digestion is causing this ongoing issue. However in terms of knowing whether the colour is from the bile I would certainly ask this question of your team if it concerns you. They can then tell you if this is normal or if it is something that requires further investigation. You must feel that you can check on anything you are unsure about and ask your team for reassurance/advice. Never leave anything that you are unsure about it. It is really important as a parent that you fully understand what is happening with your daughter's health and her current situation. Please let me know how you get on and if you need any further support please just let me know. Warmest Regards, Michelle

[Hidden in reply to MichelleCLDF]

Thanks very much! We are based in India and its been a bit hard to meet and follow up with the liver team because of the covid situation. It's all been email communication where it's hard to discuss such details. We anyway need to watch bilirubin levels for 3 months before making any decisions. Sometimes, as a parent, I guess one gets a little obsessive.

[Hidden]

Thanks Michelle. They are monitoring, and it's a very experienced team. Thank you for the leaflet and the wonderful work you all do to support parents and families struggling with this horrible disease