Role of interventional radiology in the management of postoperative biliary complications

ABSTRACT

Background: Biliary postoperative complications include biliary stenoses, biliary leaks, fistulas and collection or abscess formation. These complications usually occur due to injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, gastric or hepatic resection, bilio-enteric anastomosis and after liver transplantation. In most of the cases a new surgical intervention is not possible. Endoscopic intervention is usually the optimal initial management of these complications; however, in patients with altered enteric passage, tight low biliary stricture, high up obstruction or leakage endoscopic approach becomes impossible. Therefore, the percutaneous trans-hepatic approach is of extreme importance in the diagnosis and treatment of the problem especially in complex cases