Acute pancreatitis in obstructive jaundice following combined internal and external percutaneous transhepatic bile...

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) was performed on 85 patients with obstructive jaundice. Four patients developed an acute pancreatitis after internal drainage of which one died. To our knowledge this serious complication has not yet been described in detail. These four cases are, therefore, reported and the possible causes are discussed.