Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) in the treatment of patients with acute biliary tract infections (ABTI). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 83 patients with ABTI who underwent PTCD management in our hospital between January 2021 and December 2024, and patients received phase two surgery for eradication. Serum procalcitonin (PCT) level was routinely detected and interleukin-6 (IL-6) level was assayed by ELISA. Results 77 cases (92.8%) obtained successful PTCD out of the 83 patients with ABTI in our series, and 42 cases of them (54.5%)recovered after phase two operation, with hospital stay of(7.5±1.8)d; no further operation performed in another 35 cases because of elderly ages, concomitant diseases, and they recovered by supporting measures after 3 to 18 months; PTCD failed in 6 cases, and they recovered after 2 to 5 months of supporting management and antibiotic therapy; at admission, white blood cell count, percentage of neutrophil, total serum bilirubin, IL-6 and PCT levels in 77 patients with successful PTCD were(24.7±5.4)×10⁹/L, (83.4±12.6)%,(110.2±23.1)μmol/L, (97.6±15.8)ng/L and (12.1±0.8)μg/L, and they turned to (7.4±2.6)×10⁹/L, (65.3±10.7)%, (16.3±13.4)μmol/L, (27.5±7.7)ng/L and (0.1±0.0)μg/L after recovery (P<0.05). Conclusion PTCD might be a bridge measure as emergent management to phase two surgery for patients with ABTI, which warrants further clinical investigation.

Key words: Acute biliary tract infection, Percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage, Pathogenic bacteria, Therapy