Objective  To evaluate the clinical efficacy of liver transplantation in children with Alagille syndrome (ALGS).

  Methods  Clinical data of 12 children with ALGS were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Clinical characteristics of children with ALGS, pathological characteristics of liver tissues, characteristics of liver transplantation, postoperative complications and follow-up of children with ALGS were analyzed.

  Results  JAG1 gene mutation and typical facial features was present in all 12 children. Jaundice was the most common initial symptom, which occurred at 7 (3, 40) d after birth. Upon liver transplantation, the Z scores of height and body weight were calculated as -2.14 (-3.11, -1.83) and -2.32 (-3.12, -1.12). Five children developed severe growth retardation and 4 children with severe malnutrition. Eight of 12 children were diagnosed with cardiovascular abnormalities. Pathological examination showed that the lobular structure of the diseased livers of 4 children was basically maintained, and 8 cases of nodular liver cirrhosis in different sizes including 1 case of single early moderately-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. Three children were misdiagnosed with biliary atresia and underwent Kasai portoenterostomy. Eight children underwent living donor liver transplantation, three children underwent cadaveric donor liver transplantation (two cases of split liver transplantation and one case of cadaveric total liver transplantation), and one child underwent domino liver transplantation (donor liver was derived from a patient with maple syrup urine disease). during the follow-up of 30.0(24.5, 41.7) months, the survival rates of the children and liver grafts were both 100%. During postoperative follow-up, the Z scores of height and body weight were calculated as -1.24 (-2.11, 0.60) and -0.83 (-1.65, -0.43), indicating that the growth and development of the children were significantly improved after operation.

  Conclusions  Liver transplantation is an efficacious treatment for children with ALGS complicated with decompensated cirrhosis, severe itching and poor quality of life. For children with ALGS complicated with cardiovascular abnormalities, explicit preoperative evaluation should be delivered, and consultation with pediatric cardiologists should be performed if necessary.