[Percutaneous drainage of the biliary tract by means of a fine needle (author's transl)]

Temporary pre-operative and post-operative as well as permanent palliative percutaneous biliary-tract drainage was performed in 12 patients with biliary tract obstruction; in three the drainage was internal and in nine external. Main indication of the method is permanent palliative decompression in cases of inoperable malignant tumour with obstructive jaundice. Pre-operatively, percutaneous biliary tract drainage serves as a temporary measure in order to perform an operation after decompression of the biliary tract and improving the patient's general condition. The only serious complication was biliary peritonitis after a drainage catheter had slipped out.