[Endoscopic treatment of cholangitis via an external nasobiliary drain]

The acute suppurative cholangitis is an acute emergency condition requiring quick decompression of the obstructed bile pathways. The authors present their experience in the treatment of 51 patients by endoscopic sphincterotomy with or without mechanical lithotripsy and extraction of the stones and a nasobiliary drainage for 5 up to 15 days. Technically the manipulation was 100% successful and its therapeutic efficacy was 94.2% including II patients to whom it was performed as a preoperative procedure. In 6 patients (11.8%) a transitory amylase elevation was registered and one patient (2%) developed acute pancreatitis. The treatment was unsuccessful in 6% of the patients--these were patients with severe liver impairment (biliary cirrhosis) and long term cholangitis. The authors recommend the biliary drainage as an emergency and temporary treatment of the acute suppurative cholangitis.