Biliary stricture

Causes and Risks:
Bile is a liquid secreted by the liver that contains products such as bilirubin , cholesterol , and bile salts. Bile salts aid with the digestion of fats . Bile passes out of the liver through the bile duct and is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder or duct from the gall bladder to the intestine. It is released into the small intestine after a meal to aid with digestion of fats. A stricture usually causes partial or complete obstruction of the gallbladder. Biliary strictures are usually caused by surgical trauma. Leakage of bile may cause localized infection, scar tissue formation, and fibrous stricture formation. Other causes are blunt injury to the intestine, pancreatitis , or breakdown of the duct by a gallstone in the bile duct . The incidence is 2 out of 10,000 people. Risk factors are biliary surgery , previous pancreatitis, previous cholelithiasis , or injury to the intestine.

Prevention:
In many cases, the stricture is an unavoidable consequence of surgery, illness, or injury.

Symptoms:



Signs and Tests:
Tests that show stricture in the bile duct

Blood tests that indicate abnormal function of biliary system include:

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:



Treatment:
Endoscopic (using an endoscope, which is a device with a light that can be used to visualize the inside of a body cavity) or percutaneous ("through the skin") opening of the stricture has been successful with some strictures depending on the location.

The objective of surgical therapy is to re-establish the flow of bile into the intestine. Depending on the location of the stricture, it may be resected and the biliary duct rejoined with the small intestine or the hepatic duct.

Prognosis:
Treatment is usually successful.

Complications:
Recurrent inflammation of the biliary duct and stricture can occur in up to 10% of patients.

Call Your Healthcare Provider:
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms recur after pancreatitis , cholecystectomy , or other biliary surgery .