[Drainage in biliopancreatic surgery].

Among the various drains used in biliary tract surgery the T-tube drain proves to be most useful as a routine drainage procedure after any intervention for common duct stones. This drain allows an undisturbed healing of the common duct incision, an intra- and postoperative control cholangiography and, if necessary, a non-operative extraction of a residual stone. For high strictures of the hepatic duct we recommend the straight transhepatic drain and for palliative procedures in cases of centrally located tumors the Y-T-drain may restore bile flow from both the left and the right liver into the duodenum. If a drain in the pancreatic duct is necessary at all, one best uses a straight catheter that is brought out through the jejunum by means of a Witzel canal. The abdominal cavity is being drained routinely also for simple biliopancreatic surgery with a Penrose drain.