Percutaneous transhepatic drainage catheter: a valuable therapeutic aid in obstructive jaundice

Percutaneous decompression of the biliary system is a useful and well established procedure which can be carried out with negligible risk and may be of great benefit to the patient. The main indications are pre-operative decompression and primarily decompression of patients with inoperable obstructive neoplastic disease. In order to provide drainage, the catheter should be advanced under fluoroscopic control into one of the major radicles ore preferably into the distal common duct beyond the point of obstruction. This ideal internal drainage into the duodenum was accomplished in the reported patient with sclerosing cholangitis who was markedly improved by this procedure.