Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for acute cholangitis.

Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage (PTHBD) was performed in 56 consecutive patients with severe acute cholangitis, during a period of one year. An immediate decompression effect with a "good" response was achieved in 46 (82.2%), who usually became afebrile within 18 to 24 hours, and "poor" response in 10 (17.8%). Five died (8.93%) in a subsequent operation. No mortality was associated with the use of PTHBD. Complications related to the procedure occurred in 12 of the 56 patients (21.4%). Hemobilia was the major complication. The other complications were intraabdominal hemorrhage, bleeding from the puncture site, transient hypotension, catheter occlusion and/or dislodgement, bile leak, pneumothorax and hemothorax. Two with hemobilia, one with intraabdominal hemorrhage and the other with bile leak required an emergency operation. PTHBD procedures can be lifesaving in biliary sepsis. Once infection and hyperbilirubinemia are controlled, rational subsequent therapy can be formulated for the underlying disease.