Published online Aug 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i29.4758
Revised: May 16, 2013
Accepted: June 1, 2013
Published online: August 7, 2013
Processing time: 207 Days and 18.3 Hours
Core tip: A total of 21 patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage following failure of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were analyzed. The EUS-guided biliary drainage technique, which does not require cauterization or balloon dilation, was found to be effective and safe. The rates of technical and clinical success were 95.2% and 90.5%, respectively. Complications occurred at a relatively low rate (9.5%) and included bile leakage and pneumoperitoneum. No procedure related deaths occurred during the procedure, hospital recovery, or follow-up period. However, one patient developed the major complication of iatrogenic biloma due to stent mal-position, which was successfully resolved by another endoscopic procedure.