Risks of percutaneous transhepatic drainage in patients with cholangitis

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTD) has been advocated as a method of achieving biliary decompression in patients with cholangitis. However, the risk of PTD in these patients has not been determined. Therefore, we reviewed the records of 95 consecutive PTD patients, 30 (32%) of whom had cholangitis. Forty-four (46%) of the 95 patients underwent PTD as a preoperative measure; the remaining 51 (54%) had PTD for palliation of end-stage malignancies. Thirty-day mortality and overall morbidity were 17% and 30%, respectively, in the patients with cholangitis and 15% and 28% in the patients without cholangitis. These differences were not statistically significant. However, patients with cholangitis had a significantly higher (p < .05) incidence of post-PTD bacteremia. In patients undergoing PTD for palliation, both mortality (25%, p < .01) and morbidity (35%) were higher than in those being drained preoperatively. This analysis suggests that PTD can be performed safely in patients with cholangitis and that the patient's underlying disease process is more important than the presence of cholangitis in determining the outcome.