What is the outlook (prognosis) for patients who have biliary atresia?

What is the outlook (prognosis) for patients who have biliary atresia?

If the child does not have surgery, he or she will usually not live past age 2 without a liver transplant. After the Kasai procedure, how long a child will live without a liver transplant depends on when the procedure was done and the condition of the liver at the time of surgery. Even with a successful surgery, many patients will need a liver transplant at some point in their lives.