Biliary drainage is the insertion of a tube into the bile duct. This is most commonly carried out when the bile ducts are blocked. The bile ducts normally allow bile (a green-brown fluid that is produced by the liver to help with the digestion of fats) to drain from the liver to the small intestine. When the bile ducts are blocked, bile cannot leave the body and builds up. This build-up produces a yellow colour in the skin called jaundice and can also cause itching and dark urine. Blockage of the bile ducts can occur for a number of reasons, including gallstones impacted in the ducts, narrowings in the bile ducts after previous surgery and involvement of cancer in the ducts. Do not eat or drink for 4 hours before the procedure. This is because the procedure is carried out under sedation or general anaesthetic – if your stomach is full, stomach contents can inadvertently pass into your lungs, which can be harmful. This can happen any time you have sedative medication or anaesthesia, not just with biliary drainage, and is the reason you are asked not to eat or drink. If you are diabetic, you are advised to check with the radiology practice before fasting. This procedure is usually carried out with the assistance of either sedation (medication to relax you) or a general anaesthetic. Intravenous antibiotics are also routinely given before the procedure.The skin of your abdomen is washed with antiseptic and then a very fine needle is inserted through the skin to administer local anaesthetic. This may sting for a few seconds before numbing the area. The risks of this procedure vary between different people. This is because some people will be significantly sicker than others before starting, and because some biliary drainage procedures are more difficult to carry out than others. In general, the risks include the risk of the sedation/anaesthetic and the risks of the procedure itself.

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