Correlation between Percutaneous Biliary Drainage and Decrease in Serum Bilirubin

Abstract

Background: Obstruction of the bile duct, whether caused by a tumor or a surgical injury, will cause: jaundice, elevated liver enzymes, and eventually, liver failure. The primary goal of percutaneous management is draining bile into the small intestine and achieving a drainage that is the most similar to the normal physiologic drainage, maintaining normal enterohepatic circulation. The present study aims to make a correlation between percutaneous biliary diversion and the decrease in serum bilirubin in pre- and post-procedure studies (24 hours). Methods: We did a retrospective review of the database of the Interventional Radiology service of Hospital Regional 11º de Octubre, México. The time study was between years 2017 and 2022. We analyzed 75 patient’s clinical records who underwent percutaneous management with a diagnosis of bile duct dilation due to an obstructive origin. The population was divided in three groups benign, malignant and post-surgical based on the ethiology of the bile duct obstruction. Total serum bilirubins, liver enzymes, coagulation tests and platelets of each patient were obtained from the clinical record prior to percutaneous biliary diversion and 24 hours after procedure. Results: 75 patient records were explored, of which 26 (34.7%) were men and 49 (65.3%) were women The mean age was 62.3 years. A statistically significant decrease in total serum bilirubin was observed 24 hr after the procedure with a p value of 0.009. A statistically significant decrease after the procedure was also observed in liver enzymes with a value of: GGT with p: 0.002, GOT with p: 0.003 and LDH with p: 0.005 Discussion: There was a decrease in total serum bilirubin and liver enzymes after an effective biliary diversion, regardless of the cause of obstruction.