Acute Cholangitis
Dr. Lala Robin
PG Resident, General surgery,
CMC Ludhiana
Overview
 Definition
 Causes
 Pathophysiology and Effects of Biliary Obstruction
 Investigations
 Management
Definition
 acute, ascending bacterial infection of the biliary tree caused by
an obstruction
 Bile duct inflammation
 a spectrum of disease
 presents variably with a wide range of severity
 Charcot triad  with fever, jaundice, and right upper quadrant
pain
 mental status changes and hypotension join Charcot triad to
become Reynolds pentad
 3 components
1. obstruction of bile flow
2. colonization of the bile with bacteria (bactobilia) or fungi
3. elevation of intraductal biliary pressure.
Causes of Cholangitis
Causes of Cholangitis
Effects of Biliary Obstruction
 Hepatobiliary
 Cardiovascular
 Renal
 Coagulation
 Immune System
 Wound healing
 Other problems
Hepatobiliary
 Bile duct obstruction  Increased biliary pressure  bile
reflux into liver sinusoids  inflammatory infiltration and
fibrosis in the subepithelial layers of the biliary radicals.
 decreased capacity to excrete drugs, such as antibiotics, that
are normally secreted into bile
 Decreased synthetic function of hepatocyte
 bile acids in high concentrations  hepatocyte apoptosis
 Effects on Kupfer cells
 increase levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-
α and IL-6
Cardiovascular
 Cause hemodynamic and cardiac disturbances
 Jaundiced patient more prone for shock
 In a study of 9 patients with obstructive or cholestatic
Jaundice, Lumlertgul and colleagues (1991) showed a
significantly blunted response in left ventricular ejection
fraction compared with normal volunteers following the
infusion of inotrope dobutamine.
 Biliary drainage is associated with increase in cardiac
output, compliance, and contractility
Renal
 ANP
 Bile acids
 Endotoxemia
 AKI
 Renal Cortical and Tubular Necrosis
Coagulation
 endotoxin release in jaundiced patients results in a low-
grade, disseminated intravascular coagulation with
increased fibrin degradation products.
Lack of intestinal bile
Impaired absorption
fat soluble vitamins
including vit K, fat,
calcium
coagulopathy
Immune system
 Impaired T-cell proliferation, decreased neutrophil
chemotaxis, defective bacterial phagocytosis
 Obstruction  disruption of the enterohepatic circulation
and results in loss of the emulsifying antiendotoxin effect of
bile acids  bacterial translocation and endotoxemia
 Cholangitis  1)significant bacterial concentration in bile,
2)Biliary obstruction
 Wound healing
 Propylhydroxylase is an enzyme necessary for the
incorporation of proline amino acid residues into collagen
 decreased activity of this enzyme  diminished wound healing
 Other issues
 Lack of bile salts in intestine  decreased appetite 
malnutrition  weight loss
Investigations
 IMAGING
 Transabdominal Ultrasound
 demonstrate intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary dilation
 presence of gallstones less than 10 mm in size and dilation of the
CBD greater than 10 mm  CBD stones
 Computed Tomography
 reveal inflammation and demonstrate thickness of the bile ducts.
 detect the complications of cholangitis, such as hepatic abscess and
pylephlebitis(suppurative thrombosis of the portal vein)
 reveal etiologies of biliary obstruction, other than a CBD stone, such
as a tumoral mass
Magnetic Resonance
Cholangiopancreatography
 Noninvasive
 Purely diagnostic
 stones appear as hypointense defects
 cannot differentiate stones from air bubbles, sludge, or
blood clots
 cannot detect stones less than 3 mm in size
 Impacted stones in the ampulla require evaluation of T1
images before and after gadolinium injection
 Endoscopic Ultrasound
 Resolution less than 1mm
 Gold standard for detection of small gallstones or other
etiologies
 Invasive, requires GA/ sedation
 Cannot be done in altered anatomy
 Direct Cholangiography
 Retrograde or percutaneous cholangiography
 first step of a therapeutic procedure
 Invasive
 Complication - biliary infection, pancreatitis, and hemorrhage
Lab workup
 CBC, BU, Cr, E
 LFT
 Amylase, Lipase
 Blood Culture
 Bile Culture
Management
 Hydration
 Antibiotics
 Polymicrobial in 30-80% cases
 Escherichia coli and Klebsiella, gram-positive aerobes, and enterococci – Most
common
 biliary-enteric anastomosis or chronic biliary tract infection and elderly –
anaerobes like Bacteroides and Clostridium
 previously instrumented biliary tract -- Pseudomonas or Serratia species
 Liver transplant patients – Candida, VRE
 local resistance patterns (“antibiotic-gram”)
 Piperacillin offers the advantage of gram-positive coverage, including
enterococci, as well as anaerobic coverage (Thompson et al, 1990).
Tazobactam, a β-lactamase inhibitor, extends the spectrum to cover organisms
that have acquired resistance.
 hydration and antibiotics may improve the clinical condition in up to 80% of
patients with acute cholangitis, 20% with clinical sepsis will require urgent
biliary decompression
Duration of Antibiotic Therapy
 antibiotic therapy to continue until biliary obstruction is
completely relieved, biochemical liver function tests have
improved or normalized, and the patient is afebrile for at
least 48 hours.
 residual calculi or incompletely relieved obstruction – risk
of recurrent cholangitis  should remain on oral
antibiotics until the biliary obstruction is completely
relieved
 trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and levofloxacin
 ciprofloxacin alone or in combination with metronidazole.
Extrahepatic Biliary Stone
Obstruction - Procedures for Biliary
Decompression
 Endoscopic Biliary Decompression
 Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiography and Drainage
 Open Common Bile Duct Exploration
Endoscopic Biliary Decompression
 side-viewing scope is used to visualize and cannulate the
ampulla of Vater.
 Contrast is injected into the CBD under real-time
fluoroscopy only in an amount that allows the level of the
obstruction to be visualized, and a guidewire is passed
across the obstruction.
 1) external nasobiliary drainage (ENBD)
 2) internal drainage
External Naso-
Biliary
Drainage(ENBD)
Advantages
(i) No additional EST is required
(ii) Clogging in the tube (external
drain) can be washed
out
(iii) Bile cultures can be done
Internal drainage
 Plastic stent placement
 Advantages – minimal or absent discomfort and limited
electrolyte or fluid shifts relative to transnasal biliary drainage
 Disadvantages - stent clogging or loss of patency, risk of
dislodgement
 Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST)
 high-frequency electric surgical incision of the duodenal
papilla, using a sphincterotome selectively inserted into the bile
duct.
 Morbidity and mortality rates are much higher with
sphincterotomy than with nasobiliary catheter drainage when
patients are critically ill
 Sphincterotomy is contraindicated in the presence of
coagulopathy, systemic sepsis, and hemodynamic instability,
with the exception of those patients who have clinically
deteriorated after initial medical therapy.
Plastic stent placement
Percutaneous Transhepatic
Cholangiography
and Drainage(PTBD)
 in the presence of a
hilar obstruction -
malignant biliary
obstruction
 Used in combination
with expandable
metallic stents
Open Common Bile Duct
Exploration
 Indicated for patients who cannot undergo endoscopic
drainage  prior Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy or gastric
bypass procedure
 T-tube placement without choledocholithotomy is
recommended
 Steps :
1. exposure should be obtained along the free border of the
lesser omentum, above the duodenum
2. aspiration with a fine needle to lacalise CBD
3. anterior vertical incision is made parallel to the long axis of the
duct on the distal CBD, with stay sutures placed on either side
4. T-tube should be placed in the CBD above the level of the
obstruction to externally decompress the biliary system and
enable bile duct closure
Intrahepatic Biliary Stone
Obstruction
 transhepatic
percutaneous
intracorporeal
electrohydraulic shock-
wave lithotripsy (ICSWL)
 yttrium-aluminum-garnet
(YAG) laser lithotripsy
 Liver resection - to
patients with associated
atrophy of the involved
segments
Recurrent Pyogenic
Cholangitis(RPC)
 Oreintal Cholangiohepatitis
 recurrent episodes of bacterial cholangitis
that occur in association with bile duct
strictures, segmental biliary dilation with
bile stasis, recurrent episodes of
obstructive jaundice and ascending
cholangitis, pigmented biliary calculi, and
biliary cirrhosis.
 Clonorchis sinensis (liver fluke), ascaris
lumbricoides
 eradicate the parasites with mebendazole
and eliminate all biliary stones and
strictures
 Choledochojejunostomy with a cutaneous
limb
HIV/AIDS cholangiopathy
 Papillary stenosis
 PSC
 Biliary stricture
 Rx – EST
 HAART (Highly
Active Antiretroviral
Therapy)
Thank you

Cholangitis

  • 1.
    Acute Cholangitis Dr. LalaRobin PG Resident, General surgery, CMC Ludhiana
  • 2.
    Overview  Definition  Causes Pathophysiology and Effects of Biliary Obstruction  Investigations  Management
  • 3.
    Definition  acute, ascendingbacterial infection of the biliary tree caused by an obstruction  Bile duct inflammation  a spectrum of disease  presents variably with a wide range of severity  Charcot triad  with fever, jaundice, and right upper quadrant pain  mental status changes and hypotension join Charcot triad to become Reynolds pentad  3 components 1. obstruction of bile flow 2. colonization of the bile with bacteria (bactobilia) or fungi 3. elevation of intraductal biliary pressure.
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 6.
    Effects of BiliaryObstruction  Hepatobiliary  Cardiovascular  Renal  Coagulation  Immune System  Wound healing  Other problems
  • 7.
    Hepatobiliary  Bile ductobstruction  Increased biliary pressure  bile reflux into liver sinusoids  inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in the subepithelial layers of the biliary radicals.  decreased capacity to excrete drugs, such as antibiotics, that are normally secreted into bile  Decreased synthetic function of hepatocyte  bile acids in high concentrations  hepatocyte apoptosis  Effects on Kupfer cells  increase levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF- α and IL-6
  • 8.
    Cardiovascular  Cause hemodynamicand cardiac disturbances  Jaundiced patient more prone for shock  In a study of 9 patients with obstructive or cholestatic Jaundice, Lumlertgul and colleagues (1991) showed a significantly blunted response in left ventricular ejection fraction compared with normal volunteers following the infusion of inotrope dobutamine.  Biliary drainage is associated with increase in cardiac output, compliance, and contractility
  • 9.
    Renal  ANP  Bileacids  Endotoxemia  AKI  Renal Cortical and Tubular Necrosis
  • 10.
    Coagulation  endotoxin releasein jaundiced patients results in a low- grade, disseminated intravascular coagulation with increased fibrin degradation products. Lack of intestinal bile Impaired absorption fat soluble vitamins including vit K, fat, calcium coagulopathy
  • 11.
    Immune system  ImpairedT-cell proliferation, decreased neutrophil chemotaxis, defective bacterial phagocytosis  Obstruction  disruption of the enterohepatic circulation and results in loss of the emulsifying antiendotoxin effect of bile acids  bacterial translocation and endotoxemia  Cholangitis  1)significant bacterial concentration in bile, 2)Biliary obstruction
  • 12.
     Wound healing Propylhydroxylase is an enzyme necessary for the incorporation of proline amino acid residues into collagen  decreased activity of this enzyme  diminished wound healing  Other issues  Lack of bile salts in intestine  decreased appetite  malnutrition  weight loss
  • 13.
    Investigations  IMAGING  TransabdominalUltrasound  demonstrate intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary dilation  presence of gallstones less than 10 mm in size and dilation of the CBD greater than 10 mm  CBD stones  Computed Tomography  reveal inflammation and demonstrate thickness of the bile ducts.  detect the complications of cholangitis, such as hepatic abscess and pylephlebitis(suppurative thrombosis of the portal vein)  reveal etiologies of biliary obstruction, other than a CBD stone, such as a tumoral mass
  • 14.
    Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography  Noninvasive Purely diagnostic  stones appear as hypointense defects  cannot differentiate stones from air bubbles, sludge, or blood clots  cannot detect stones less than 3 mm in size  Impacted stones in the ampulla require evaluation of T1 images before and after gadolinium injection
  • 15.
     Endoscopic Ultrasound Resolution less than 1mm  Gold standard for detection of small gallstones or other etiologies  Invasive, requires GA/ sedation  Cannot be done in altered anatomy  Direct Cholangiography  Retrograde or percutaneous cholangiography  first step of a therapeutic procedure  Invasive  Complication - biliary infection, pancreatitis, and hemorrhage
  • 16.
    Lab workup  CBC,BU, Cr, E  LFT  Amylase, Lipase  Blood Culture  Bile Culture
  • 17.
    Management  Hydration  Antibiotics Polymicrobial in 30-80% cases  Escherichia coli and Klebsiella, gram-positive aerobes, and enterococci – Most common  biliary-enteric anastomosis or chronic biliary tract infection and elderly – anaerobes like Bacteroides and Clostridium  previously instrumented biliary tract -- Pseudomonas or Serratia species  Liver transplant patients – Candida, VRE  local resistance patterns (“antibiotic-gram”)  Piperacillin offers the advantage of gram-positive coverage, including enterococci, as well as anaerobic coverage (Thompson et al, 1990). Tazobactam, a β-lactamase inhibitor, extends the spectrum to cover organisms that have acquired resistance.  hydration and antibiotics may improve the clinical condition in up to 80% of patients with acute cholangitis, 20% with clinical sepsis will require urgent biliary decompression
  • 18.
    Duration of AntibioticTherapy  antibiotic therapy to continue until biliary obstruction is completely relieved, biochemical liver function tests have improved or normalized, and the patient is afebrile for at least 48 hours.  residual calculi or incompletely relieved obstruction – risk of recurrent cholangitis  should remain on oral antibiotics until the biliary obstruction is completely relieved  trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and levofloxacin  ciprofloxacin alone or in combination with metronidazole.
  • 19.
    Extrahepatic Biliary Stone Obstruction- Procedures for Biliary Decompression  Endoscopic Biliary Decompression  Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiography and Drainage  Open Common Bile Duct Exploration
  • 20.
    Endoscopic Biliary Decompression side-viewing scope is used to visualize and cannulate the ampulla of Vater.  Contrast is injected into the CBD under real-time fluoroscopy only in an amount that allows the level of the obstruction to be visualized, and a guidewire is passed across the obstruction.  1) external nasobiliary drainage (ENBD)  2) internal drainage
  • 21.
    External Naso- Biliary Drainage(ENBD) Advantages (i) Noadditional EST is required (ii) Clogging in the tube (external drain) can be washed out (iii) Bile cultures can be done
  • 22.
    Internal drainage  Plasticstent placement  Advantages – minimal or absent discomfort and limited electrolyte or fluid shifts relative to transnasal biliary drainage  Disadvantages - stent clogging or loss of patency, risk of dislodgement  Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST)  high-frequency electric surgical incision of the duodenal papilla, using a sphincterotome selectively inserted into the bile duct.  Morbidity and mortality rates are much higher with sphincterotomy than with nasobiliary catheter drainage when patients are critically ill  Sphincterotomy is contraindicated in the presence of coagulopathy, systemic sepsis, and hemodynamic instability, with the exception of those patients who have clinically deteriorated after initial medical therapy.
  • 23.
  • 24.
    Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiography and Drainage(PTBD) in the presence of a hilar obstruction - malignant biliary obstruction  Used in combination with expandable metallic stents
  • 25.
    Open Common BileDuct Exploration  Indicated for patients who cannot undergo endoscopic drainage  prior Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy or gastric bypass procedure  T-tube placement without choledocholithotomy is recommended  Steps : 1. exposure should be obtained along the free border of the lesser omentum, above the duodenum 2. aspiration with a fine needle to lacalise CBD 3. anterior vertical incision is made parallel to the long axis of the duct on the distal CBD, with stay sutures placed on either side 4. T-tube should be placed in the CBD above the level of the obstruction to externally decompress the biliary system and enable bile duct closure
  • 26.
    Intrahepatic Biliary Stone Obstruction transhepatic percutaneous intracorporeal electrohydraulic shock- wave lithotripsy (ICSWL)  yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser lithotripsy  Liver resection - to patients with associated atrophy of the involved segments
  • 27.
    Recurrent Pyogenic Cholangitis(RPC)  OreintalCholangiohepatitis  recurrent episodes of bacterial cholangitis that occur in association with bile duct strictures, segmental biliary dilation with bile stasis, recurrent episodes of obstructive jaundice and ascending cholangitis, pigmented biliary calculi, and biliary cirrhosis.  Clonorchis sinensis (liver fluke), ascaris lumbricoides  eradicate the parasites with mebendazole and eliminate all biliary stones and strictures  Choledochojejunostomy with a cutaneous limb
  • 28.
    HIV/AIDS cholangiopathy  Papillarystenosis  PSC  Biliary stricture  Rx – EST  HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy)
  • 29.

Editor's Notes

  • #8 Normal biliary pressure – 10 mm H2O, Increased – 20- 30 mm H2O. The tight junctions between hepatocytes and bile duct cells are disrupted, resulting in an increase in bile duct and canalicular permeability. In the setting of biliary obstruction and elevated biliary pressure, bile becomes less lithogenic because of a relative decrease in cholesterol and phospholipid secretion compared with bile acid secretion. With the relief of biliary obstruction and the normalization of biliary pressures, the recovery of cholesterol and phospholipid secretion is more rapid than bile acid secretion, therefore bile is more lithogenic in this setting. This phenomenon may lead to premature occlusion of decompressive bilary stents placed for the management of obstructive jaundice.
  • #10 ANP - depressed cardiac function  ANP production due distension of atrium  natriuresis, diuresis  hypovolemia, hypotension Bile Acids- increased serum levels of bile acids associated with obstructive jaundice have a direct diuretic and natriuretic effect on the kidney that results in significant extracellular volume depletion and hypovolemia mediated by increased prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by kidney. redistribution of renal blood flow away from the cortex. Endotoxin – 1) bile salts in the gut lumen prevent absorption of endotoxins, 2) decreased hepatic clearance of endotoxin by Kupffer cells  Increased endotoxins  renal vasoconstriction, redistribution of renal blood flow away from cortex  renal cortical and tubular necrosis  AKI.
  • #12 Bacteria in bile - Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, the enterococci, and Bacteroides fragilis – source? – CBD stones, instrumentation, other obstructive pathology
  • #27 PTCD in the acute phase
  • #28 Following standard cholecystectomy, a portion of the common duct is isolated for choledochoenteric anastomosis. A 60- to 70-cm segment of bowel is used for the Roux-en-Y limb, and a side-to-side choledochojejunostomy is then constructed 10 to 15 cm from the end of the jejunal limb. The blind limb of the jejunal access loop is then brought through the fascia of the abdominal wall in the right upper quadrant at a point that will allow straight access to the biliary tree. Lateral placement of the bowel, just below the skin, will help ensure that the interventional radiologist’s hands and instruments are not in the fluoroscopy beam. Although gross stones are removed, no attempt is made at complete clearance of the CBD or hepatic radicles. After closure of the abdomen, the stoma is matured in a “turn-back” fashion. The availability of the cutaneous stoma greatly facilitates subsequent treatment of the residual stones and strictures. After completion of radiologic treatment, the stoma is mobilized, closed, and left buried in the subcutaneous tissues for future access.