Biliary Drainage in Patients With Failed ERCP: Percutaneous Versus EUS-guided Drainage

Aim:The goal of the study is to compare the efficacy and safety of bile duct drains guided by endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EGBD) versus percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD).Materials and Methods:Retrospective comparative study. Patients with obstruction of the bile duct who underwent the EGBD or PTBD procedure and had at least 1 previous endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography that failed or was inaccessible to the second duodenal portion were included.Results:A total of 90 patients were initially evaluated and 28 were excluded. There were 39 (62.9%) women, with a median age of 55.6 years (range, 22 to 88y). The etiology of biliary obstruction was malignancy in 35 (56.4%) patients. Differences between EGBD versus PTBD groups were in technical success (90% vs. 78%; P=0.3), clinical success (96% vs. 63%; P=0.04), complications (6.6% vs. 28%; P=0.04), length of stay [6.5d (range, 0 to 11d) vs. 12.5d (range, 6.2 to 25d)] (P=0.009), and costs 1440.15240.94 versus 2165.87 +/- 241.10 USD (P=0.03).Conclusions:EGBD is associated with a higher clinical success rate and safety, shorter hospital stays, and lower cost compared with PTBD.