The role of Chiba-needle cholangiography in the diagnosis of possible acute pancreatitis with cholelithiasis.

In patients with suspected severe acute pancreatitis and known or suspected cholelithiasis, it may be extremely difficult to exclude the diagnosis of gangrenous cholecystitis or obstructive cholangitis by nonoperative means. Since early intra-abdominal surgery has, in our experience, led to markedly increased morbidity in patients with gallstone pancreatitis, non-operative visualization of the biliary tree by percutaneous transhepatic Chiba-needle cholangiography (PTCNC) has been evaluated in 14 patients with suspected acute pancreatitis in whom life-threatening acute biliary disease could not be excluded by other nonoperative means. The final diagnosis was acute pancreatitis in nine patients (Group A) (mean serum amylase 3242 SU%) and acute biliary disease with hyperamylasemia in five patients (Group B) (mean serum amylase 2084 SU%). PTCNC made visualization of the biliary system possible in all patients and excluded the diagnosis of cystic duct or common duct obstruction in each case. Following PTCNC, potentially hazardous early laparotomy was avoided in eight of nine Group A patients. Biliary surgery was undertaken on day 3 to 13 in four Group B patients. When early laparotomy may be needed to evaluate or treat possible life-threatening acute biliary disease but is considered undesirable because of possible acute pancreatitis. PTCNC appears to be a safe and effective nonoperative method of obtaining precise anatomical delineation of the biliary tree.