Clinical significance of lipoprotein-X in congenital biliary atresia.

Quantitative lipoprotein-X (Lp-X) was measured for diagnostic and postoperative examination of congenital biliary atresia (CBA). There was no significant difference in the levels in children with CBA (n = 23) or neonatal hepatitis (NH) (n = 14). However, a value over 200 mg/dl was found in 7 of CBA but not NH patients. As to 13 postoperative non-icteric patients with CBA, Lp-X was absent in only 2 patients. Thus, postoperative patients without jaundice do not always have a normal biliary secretion. From those results, estimation of Lp-X is both useful for diagnosis and postoperative evaluation of CBA.