Clinical Practice Guidelines for Biliary Atresia in Japan, 2nd Edition.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to revise the clinical practice guidelines for biliary atresia (BA) developed by the Japanese Biliary Atresia Society in accordance with the Medical Information Network Distribution Service (MINDS) Handbook for Clinical Practice Guideline Development 2020 ver.3.0.

METHODS

The Guideline Drafting Group identified 23 clinical questions (CQs). The guideline was revised through systematic literature searches, evidence synthesis, and structured consensus methods by the modified Delphi technique. Recommendations were graded according to the strength of evidence and clinical balance of benefits and harms.

RESULTS

Recommendations were provided for 22 CQs. However, no recommendation for CQ12 (laparoscopic surgery) was made owing to limited evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

The second edition of the clinical practice guidelines for BA was completed following MINDS recommendations. These guidelines are expected to be widely adopted and contribute to improved treatment outcomes by standardizing BA management.