Baby Alice recovering after operation

Ailce is recovering in hospital after a three-hour operation yesterday.

The six-month-old Temuka baby developed a biliary stricture after having a liver transplant six weeks ago, in which her dad Mike Johnston donated part of his liver.

Mum Kate Manson said a biliary stricture was an abnormal narrowing in the bile duct, caused by scar tissue forming where surgeons joined "Mike's parts to Alice's parts".

Alice will stay at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital for three days.

Miss Manson said almost 50 per cent of liver transplant children developed a biliary stricture at some stage. "It can be ongoing or a one-off."

As part of the surgery, doctors will insert a plastic tube into the bile duct to reopen it. The tube will stay in for six weeks and then doctors will reassess it.

"Alice will come home to Ronald McDonald House with a drain coming out of her tummy attached to a plastic bag. Mike and I will have to learn how to flush the drain and keep the site clean from infection."

Miss Manson said the good news was that Christchurch Hospital could deal with biliary strictures, so if it happened again when the family were home in Temuka, they could go to Christchurch, instead of Auckland.

* Meanwhile, the fundraising quiz night and auction organised by Alice's uncle Danny Johnston will be on tonight at the Harlequins club rooms in Church St. Teams of four can enter the quiz for $20.