Abstract
IgA is an immunoglogulin which is considered to have a responsibility in local immunity and is excreted into the bile. We measured the IgA level in the serum in postoperative patients with biliary atresia, which was extremely low from the birth to 6 months of age, and then increased rapidly from 7 months to 11 months of age. In our experiences, postoperative ascending cholangitis was most frequently occured in the period between 4 months to 6 months of age and was not occured from 7 months to 11 months of age. Furthermore secretory IgA increased proportionally in bile as serum SIgA increases. These results suggest that secretory IgA in bile plays an important role to protect the ascending cholangitis in postoperative biliary atresia patients.
