title: Percutaneous transjejunal biliary dilatation: alternate management for benign strictures.
abstract: Since 1980, 23 patients with diffuse benign biliary strictures underwent percutaneous retrograde biliary dilatation through a surgically created jejunal access route. Bile ducts of 15 patients with sclerosing cholangitis, five with traumatic strictures, and three with strictures of diverse etiology were dilated with 25-atm balloons during 88 separate sessions. Individual dilatation intervals ranged between 2 and 36 months. Three patients with sclerosing cholangitis died. One uncomplicated bile duct rupture occurred in the trauma group because of balloon oversizing. Our 5-year experience indicates that bile duct patency can be safely maintained by repeated retrograde dilatations without the need for biliary catheters or stents.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002761:Cholangitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D001651:Cholestasis, Extrahepatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D004106:Dilatation; D005260:Female; D006500:Hepatic Duct, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography