What Is a Bile Duct Obstruction? (2024)

FAQs

What Is a Bile Duct Obstruction? ›

Biliary obstruction. Bile duct obstruction is a blockage in the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. The biliary system is comprised of the organs and duct system that create, transport, store and release bile into the duodenum for digestion.

Gallstones are the most prevalent cause of biliary obstruction; they commonly manifest by dilatating the common bile duct and jaundice.

‌Bile duct or biliary obstruction is blockage of one or more bile ducts in your body. If your bile duct is blocked, it can't transport bile or pancreatic juice to your intestines for digestion. This causes bile to build up in your liver and increases bilirubin levels in your blood.

Death from obstructive jaundice in the first few weeks of its course is quite rare and is only occasionally observed. After a period varying from four to six months, however, patients suffering from occlusion of the common bile duct usually deteriorate rapidly and die.

Usually, it involves minimally invasive surgery called laparoscopy. You can live a healthy life without a gallbladder. Stents: Your provider may insert a metal or plastic tube called a stent inside your bile ducts to widen them or keep them open. You may need a stent if strictures are causing an obstruction.

Treatment for bile duct obstruction aims to relieve the blockage and will depend on the underlying cause and a person's overall health. Healthcare professionals can usually remove gallstones using an endoscope during an ERCP. However, some people may still require surgery.

Although symptoms may differ among bile duct disorders, symptoms common to many of the disorders include: Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) Abdominal pain, especially in the upper right side of the abdomen under the rib cage. Nausea or vomiting.

Endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD)

During an EBD procedure, a provider uses an endoscope (a medical device with a light on the end) and inserts it into your mouth and down your digestive tract until it reaches your bile duct. They then insert a catheter into the scope and into your blocked bile duct to drain it.

About 1 in 7 people with gallstones will develop stones in the common bile duct. This is the small tube that carries bile from the gallbladder to the intestine. Risk factors include a history of gallstones. However, choledocholithiasis can occur in people who have had their gallbladder removed.

How long do you stay in hospital after bile duct surgery? ›

Surgery to remove bile duct cancer is a major operation so you may stay in hospital for about 10 to 14 days. Some may need longer to recover. Some hospitals have an enhanced recovery programme where they aim to have most people home within 7 days of surgery.

In our retrospective series of 643 cancer patients with malignant biliary obstruction treated with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD), the median overall survival was 2.6 months [5].

A blocked bile duct typically occurs due to gallstones. Symptoms can vary depending on the duct affected but may include nausea, light-colored stools, and dark-colored urine.

Water helps the organ empty and keeps bile from building up. This protects against gallstones and other problems. Sipping more also can help you slim down. Research shows people who drink more water eat fewer calories and less sugar.

If your surgeon thinks they can remove it, they call this resectable cancer. They also look at how well you are overall. Having an operation to remove bile duct cancer is a major surgery.

105 Vitamin K deficiency may occur in malabsorptive syndromes, including bile duct obstruction, or from sterilization of the intestine by prolonged use of antibiotics.

Cholangitis (infection of the bile duct) Bile duct leaks, which can occur after certain surgeries and cause infection. Biliary stricture (an abnormal narrowing of the bile duct) Biliary stones (choledocholithiasis, the presence of a gallstone in the common bile duct)

Extrahepatic biliary obstruction following cholecystectomy is a worrisome occurrence that mandates immediate investigation to determine its cause. When choledocholithiasis is found not to be responsible, the etiology is usually a serious iatrogenic injury to the common bile duct, common hepatic duct, or both.