Percutaneous biliary drainage in the management of biliary sepsis.

Percutaneous biliary drainage was performed in 18 patients with biliary sepsis due to acute obstructive cholangitis and postoperative complications. Internal drainage could be established in 78% of patients, and 22% were managed on external drainage. Nine patients were managed on long-term internal drainage, six underwent uneventful surgery after successful percutaneous decompression, and three died as a result of septic shock. Percutaneous biliary drainage procedures can be lifesaving in biliary sepsis. Once infection and the hyperbilirubinemia are controlled, rational therapy plans can be formulated on the basis of the anatomy and natural history of the underlying disease.