Balloon dilatation of intrahepatic biliary strictures for percutaneous extraction of residual intrahepatic stones.

Intrahepatic ductal strictures in cholangiohepatitis present an obstacle to successful removal of retained ductal stones via T-tube tracts. We studied the effectiveness of stricture dilatation for stone removal. Fifteen patients with intrahepatic gallstones retained behind strictures underwent balloon dilatation of their strictures to allow stone extraction. All had prior surgical T-tube placement allowing percutaneous access. Balloon dilatation was successful in reducing or eliminating strictures in 86.7% (13 of 15 patients), and complete stone extraction after the successful dilatation was possible in 76.9% (10 of 13 patients). The reasons for failure were impacted stones and acute ductal angulation which prevented passage of catheters. It is concluded that balloon dilatation of intrahepatic biliary strictures is an effective adjunct for extraction of intrahepatic biliary calculi associated with recurrent pyogenic cholangiohepatitis.