Transhepatic dilatation of choledochoenterostomy strictures.

During the last seven years percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (THD) was used in 13 patients to relieve obstructive jaundice caused by postsurgical stricture. Nine patients had internal drainage with dilatation, and external drainage alone was feasible or available in 4 patients. Of these 4, 2 had further reconstructive surgery without lasting results, jaundice was not completely relieved in 1 because of biliary cirrhosis, and 1 died in hepatic coma from sclerosing cholangitis. Eight patients treated with internal drainage and dilatation became asymptomatic with normal serum bilirubin values; the ninth patient, with biliary cirrhosis and portal hypertension, improved only moderately.