Computerized tomography-guided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage

With the introduction of computed tomography (CT) of the body, an excellent cross-sectional image display of the various organ systems within the abdomen became available. As a result, it soon became apparent that with the use of computed tomography percutaneous aspiration biopsies could be facilitated (1). Using computed tomography guidance it is now possible to accurately place a biopsy instrument within virtually any organ in the abdomen. CT-guided needle procedures are useful not only for the purpose of diagnosis, but are valuable as a therapeutic tool in selective patients. We wish to describe a method of computed tomography-guided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage which we have utilized in five patients to accomplish definitive relief of obstructed biliary systems. Each of our patients had an inoperable carcinoma either in the head of the pancreas or in the region of the porta hepatis which resulted in obstruction of the biliary system.