Percutaneous biliary drainage as an initial therapy in sepsis of the biliary tract.

Percutaneous biliary drainage offers a rapid, low-risk, effective method of decompressing the biliary tract in the patient with cholangitis and sepsis. A definite surgical procedure can be delayed until the patient is stabilized. The procedure provides anatomic detail that can be used to plan surgical treatment. In some patients who do not have surgically correctable lesions, operation can be avoided altogether.