PERCUTANEOUS TRANSHEPATIC BILIARY DRAINAGE GUIDED BY COLOR DOPPLER ECHOGRAPHY

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) guided by color Dopp ler echography was performed on nine patients. By color Doppler echogr aphy, the segmental and subsegmental branches of both the portal vein and the hepatic artery could be identified and discriminated from the bile ducts because of their color flow mapping. We could select the sa fe pathway of needle advance, which did not injure the vessels. Thus, complication of bleeding did not occur in any of the patients. Color D oppler echography seems a very useful and safe method for the guidance of PTBD.