I am not an M.D. and I am afraid that I can not adequately answer your question. This would be something to openly and frankly discuss with your doc. From what I understand the overall outcome for those with primary sclerosing cholangitis - another form of cholangitis - is variable, but it shortens a person's life due to the on-going problems and the impact on the liver which unfortunately continues.
Are you a Doctor? What if I do nothing and live with the pain. What will be the result?
Thanks
If you're not currently working with a specialist in the area of liver/biliary problems, you should think about seeking one out preferably at one of the larger university teaching hospitals in your area. Most of the university hospitals will list their physicians online and give you an overview of their background and training. Look for one with both medical and research experience, if possible. You should be able to use their names and search pubmed.com to look at any research papers they've published which would give you a decent idea of how active they are in both fields.
I'm suggesting the research tie-in because many of those who do both may be more up-to-date than some other docs.
Please understand that my opinion is only based upon my own information, but based upon what you are saying it is possible that one of the better options that you may be facing is reconstruction of a portion of the proximal (near or into the liver) bile duct and liver. This is a difficult operation and requires quite a bit of expertise. Many of the docs that do this type of surgery handle cancer patients. And I know you don't have cancer, but you may need to see someone with that type of expertise.
If the doc you are working with has that expertise and he was the one who made the comment about being close to the portal area, then you need another opinion from another specialist.
There may be other steps between the excision/reconstruction surgery and a liver transplantation, but I am not aware of any. Hopefully, others will have better information for you.