Does T-tube indwelling prolong the procedure of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for healing duct-to-duct anastomotic bile leakage after liver transplantation?

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the preferred treatment for duct-to-duct anastomotic bile leakage (D-D aBL) after liver transplantation (LT). This study aimed to compare the time required for ERCP and D-D aBL recovery in post-LT patients with and without T-tube drainage. A total of 40 patients (11 with T-tube drainage and 29 without T-tube drainage) with confirmed D-D aBLs treated successfully with ERCP from July 2016 to September 2021 were reviewed. The mean interval from LT to initial ERCP was significantly longer in patients with T-tube drainage than in those without T-tube drainage (41.9 vs 25.1 days, P < .05). However, there was no significant difference in the time required for ERCP to result in D-D aBL healing between patients with T-tube drainage and those without T-tubes (33.4 vs 23.0 days). T-tube indwelling did not significantly prolong the course required for ERCP to resolve D-D aBL in post-LT patients.