Obstructive jaundice in young infants represents a clinical situation whose diagnostic evaluation has changed dramatically over the past few years.1-3 Biliary atresia and some forms of neonatal hepatitis are the most common diseases to be differentiated. Emphasis has shifted in recent years toward early surgical exploration for the possibility of performing some form of portoenterostomy.
Among surgically correctible lesions, the choledochal cyst, although a rare cause of obstructive jaundice during the newborn period, should be considered and actively pursued since irreversible cirrhosis is a major sequela in untreated cases.4
We describe a patient who was considered to have biliary atresia but on whom a choledochal cyst was discovered at 5½ months of age.