Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2026
Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Biliary Drainage: Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Hepaticogastrostomy in Malignant Biliary Obstruction
Published on: March 25, 2022
External and internal-external biliary drainage in children with malignant obstructive jaundice
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin.
Insights
External biliary drainage effectively manages malignant obstructive jaundice in pediatric cancer patients. This procedure offers a safe and successful treatment option for children facing this challenging complication.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Interventional Radiology
- Hepatobiliary Medicine
Background:
- Obstructive jaundice presents a significant clinical challenge in pediatric cancer patients.
- Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is a standard treatment for adults but less documented in children.
- Limited data exists on the efficacy and safety of biliary drainage in pediatric oncology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of external or internal-external biliary drainage in children with malignant obstructive jaundice.
- To assess the technical success and complication rates of this procedure in a pediatric population.
- To provide evidence for the utility of biliary drainage in managing pediatric cancer-related biliary obstruction.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of six pediatric patients (ages 1-17 years) with malignant obstructive jaundice.
- Inclusion of patients undergoing external or internal-external biliary drainage.
- Monitoring of biochemical, hematological, and microbiological parameters pre- and post-procedure (7-9 days).
Main Results:
- Technical success of external or internal-external biliary drainage was achieved in all six pediatric patients.
- No instances of clinically significant biliary sepsis were observed.
- One patient experienced asymptomatic duodenal perforation, attributed to a bulky duodenal tumor after drainage conversion.
Conclusions:
- External biliary drainage is a technically successful and viable option for pediatric patients with malignant obstructive jaundice.
- The procedure demonstrates a favorable safety profile in this pediatric cohort.
- This study supports the use of external biliary drainage as a therapeutic intervention in pediatric oncology.
Background:
Obstructive jaundice is an uncommon but important clinical problem in children with cancer. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is widely used to relieve malignant biliary obstruction in adults, but its use in children has not been well described.
Materials And Methods:
Six patients aged between 1 and 17 years underwent external or internal-external biliary drainage to relieve malignant obstructive jaundice. Biochemical, haematological and microbiological parameters were measured before the procedure and repeated 7-9 days later.
Results:
External or internal-external biliary drainage was technically successful in all patients. No patient developed clinically significant biliary sepsis. Asymptomatic duodenal perforation occurred in one patient with bulky duodenal tumour following conversion from external to internal-external drainage.
Conclusions:
External biliary drainage may be successfully performed in children with malignant obstructive jaundice.
