Learn About Bile Duct Stricture
A bile duct stricture is an abnormal narrowing, most often of the common bile duct. This is a tube that moves bile from the liver to the small intestine. Bile is a substance that helps with digestion.
Bile duct stricture; Biliary stricture
A bile duct stricture is often caused by injury to the bile ducts during surgery. For example, it may occur after surgery to remove the gallbladder.
Other causes of this condition include:
- Cancer of the bile duct, liver or pancreas
- Damage and scarring due to a gallstone in the bile duct
- Damage or scarring after gallbladder removal
- Pancreatitis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain on the upper right side of belly
- Chills
- Fever
- Itching
- General feeling of discomfort
- Loss of appetite
- Jaundice
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pale or clay-colored stools
The goal of treatment is to correct the narrowing. This will allow bile to flow from the liver into the intestine.
This may involve:
- Surgery
- Endoscopic or percutaneous dilation of the stricture or insertion of stents through the stricture
If surgery is done, the stricture is removed. The common bile duct will be rejoined with the small intestine.
In some cases, a tiny metal or plastic mesh tube (stent) is placed across the bile duct stricture to keep it open.
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Tyler Stevens is a Gastroenterologist in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Stevens is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Bile Duct Stricture. His top areas of expertise are Acute Pancreatitis, Hereditary Pancreatitis, Chronic Pancreatitis, Endoscopy, and Pancreatectomy. Dr. Stevens is currently accepting new patients.
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Sunguk Jang is a Gastroenterologist in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Jang has been practicing medicine for over 31 years and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Bile Duct Stricture. His top areas of expertise are Bile Duct Stricture, Barrett Esophagus, Bile Duct Obstruction, Endoscopy, and Pancreatectomy.
UPMC Digestive Health Care
Adam Slivka, MD, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Associate Chief of Clinical Affairs for the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Slivka is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Bile Duct Stricture. His top areas of expertise are Chronic Pancreatitis, Hereditary Pancreatitis, Acute Pancreatitis, Endoscopy, and Pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Treatment is successful most of the time. Long-term success depends on the cause of the stricture.
Inflammation and narrowing of the biliary duct may return in some people. There is a risk for infection above the narrowed area. Strictures that remain for a long period can lead to liver damage (cirrhosis).
Contact your health care provider if symptoms recur after pancreatitis, cholecystectomy, or other biliary surgery.
Summary: Biliary stricture is mainly malignant in the adults and caused by several types of fatal malignancies such as pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and metastatic tumor, which have poor prognosis that the overall survival of unresectable lesions is no more than 15 months. The poor outcome often relates to a lack of reliable strategies for early diagnosis, which results in most patients with malig...
Summary: The main objective of the trial is to compare the effect of two end-to-end duct-to-duct anastomosis surgical techniques using the continuous suture method versus interrupted method (control group) on reducing the risk of bile leakages in the 90-day follow-up period after liver transplantation and other postoperative complications resulting from them i.e.: the occurrence of a critical stenosis in t...
Published Date: May 14, 2024
Published By: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Aria - Jefferson Health Torresdale, Jefferson Digestive Diseases Network, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Dudeja V, Ferrantella A, Fong Y. The liver. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 54.
Fogel EL, Sherman S. Diseases of the gallbladder and bile ducts. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 141.
Lillemoe HA, Lillemoe KD. Gallbladder and biliary tree: management of benign biliary strictures. In: Cameron J, ed. Current Surgical Therapy. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:457-538.