Background and Study Aims: The formation of a communication between liver abscesses or cysts and intrahepatic bile ducts is an uncommon cause of significant bile leak. Surgical management of biliary fistulas is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We performed a prospective study of endoscopic management of this type of biliary fistula. Patients and Methods: We studied 26 patients who had either liver abscesses or hepatic cysts that had ruptured into the intrahepatic bile ducts. The presence of a biliary fistula was suspected by jaundice and/or by the appearance of bile in percutaneous drainage effluent from a liver abscess and was confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Once the route of the fistula between the liver abscess or cyst and the intrahepatic bile duct had been defined by cholangiography, patients underwent treatment by sphincterotomy, and either biliary stenting or nasobiliary drainage. Nasobiliary drains or biliary stents (both 7 Fr) were placed according to standard techniques. Nasobiliary drains were removed when bile leakage stopped and closure of the fistula was confirmed by cholangiography; stents were removed after an interval of 4 - 6 weeks. Results: Of a total of 525 patients with hepatic abscesses or cysts who were seen over a 5-year period, there were 26 patients who developed a demonstrable communication between liver abscesses (n = 20; 16 amebic, four pyogenic) or hydatid cysts (n = 6) and intrahepatic bile ducts (right intrahepatic bile ducts in 22 patients, left intrahepatic bile ducts in four patients). We performed either sphincterotomy with insertion of a nasobiliary drain (n = 20) or sphincterotomy with biliary stenting (n = 6). The fistulas healed in all patients after a mean time of 4 days (range 2 - 20 days) after endoscopic treatment. We were able to remove the nasobiliary drainage catheters and stents 6 - 34 days after their placement. Conclusions: In this case series, endoscopic therapy appears to be an effective mode of treatment for biliary fistulas complicating liver abscesses and cysts.
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