[Pre- and postoperative external biliary drainage in patients with obstructive jaundice caused by neoplasm of the pancreatic head].

The external biliary drainage in severe jaundice secondary to pancreatic carcinoma acts differently in pre, intra, and postoperative period. In the preoperative period the drainage enables to lower the direct bilirubinemia and the intrahepatic biliary stasis and consequently the complications linked to the impaired hepatic and renal function. During the operation the catheter acts as a guide in performing the biliodigestive anastomosis. In the postoperative period the external drainage of most of daily biliary secretion protects the biliodigestive anastomosis during the postoperative paralytic ileus, and prevents the fistula development along the pancreatic jejunal anastomosis.