Transnasal pancreaticobiliary drains. Indications and insertion technique.

The insertion of pancreaticobiliary drains at the time of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography can provide access to the bile or pancreatic duct, decompress an obstructed biliary tree, and allow infusion of solubilizing agents to effect gallstone dissolution. Twenty-six patients underwent 32 attempts at drain placement with 90 percent success and 6 percent minor complication rates. The use of pancreaticobiliary drains should supplement traditional diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in patients with surgical lesions of the pancreas or biliary tree.