Endotoxemia and intestinal mucosal dysfunction after the relief of obstructive jaundice by internal and external drainage in rats.

We studied the effects of external and internal biliary drainage on the development of endotoxemia in a rat model of obstructive jaundice. Male Donryu rats were allocated to four groups: sham operation, common hepatic bile duct ligation (BDL), internal or external biliary drainage after BDL, and biliary drainage after BDL with oral endotoxin administration. Portal and systemic blood endotoxin concentrations were measured and the histomorphology of the intestinal mucosa was examined. Portal endotoxemia was observed 7 days after BDL and both portal and systemic endotoxemia were observed after 14 days. Portal endotoxemia was reversed by both internal and external biliary drainage and systemic endotoxemia was prevented. The ratio of villous height to crypt depth in the mucosa of the terminal ileum was decreased in rats with external drainage. Oral administration of endotoxin induced marked disruption of the mucosal epithelium in rats with external biliary drainage, but not in rats with internal biliary drainage. Significant increases in portal and systemic blood endotoxin concentrations were observed only in the external drainage group after oral endotoxin administration. The relief of biliary obstruction effectively relieved portal endotoxemia. External biliary drainage, however, has the potentially deleterious effect of disrupting the intestinal mucosa, which may promote the development of endotoxemia. These findings have implications for the use of biliary drainage procedures to reduce postoperative complications in jaundiced patients.