Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Sep 27, 2026; 18(9): 118865
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.118865
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.118865
Internal vs oral bile reinfusion for hepatic recovery after percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage
Yan Wang, Wen-Shuang Zhang, Qing-Lei Wu, Fang Liu, Zhi-Li Cao, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075100, Hebei Province, China
Jiang-Wei Xi, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075100, Hebei Province, China
Ya-Li Xie, Department of Outpatient, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075100, Hebei Province, China
Co-first authors: Yan Wang and Jiang-Wei Xi.
Author contributions: Wang Y drafted the initial manuscript; Wang Y and Cao ZL conceived and designed the study; Xi JW and Zhang WS performed patient enrollment and data collection; Wu QL and Liu F conducted the statistical analyses and interpretation; Xie YL contributed to patient follow-up and quality of life assessments; All authors critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content and approved the final version for publication. Wang Y and Xi JW contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
AI contribution statement: The authors confirm that no AI tools were used in any stage of this study, including data collection, statistical analysis, manuscript writing, or figure preparation. All intellectual contributions were made solely by the human authors listed.
Supported by the Zhangjiakou Science and Technology Research and Development Program, No. 2121093D.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University (Approval No. 2024-IRB-095).
Informed consent statement: The requirement for written informed consent was waived by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, as this was a retrospective study based on anonymized data obtained from routine clinical records and involved no additional risk to patients.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Data sharing statement: De-identified participant data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Zhi-Li Cao, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Infectious diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, No. 92 Qingyuan Road, Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou 075100, Hebei Province, China. efyczl789@163.com
Received: March 10, 2026
Revised: April 21, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 188 Days and 23.2 Hours
Revised: April 21, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 188 Days and 23.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Malignant obstructive jaundice treated with percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage often results in prolonged bile loss and delayed hepatic recovery. This retrospective study demonstrates that internal bile reinfusion via the drainage catheter restores enterohepatic circulation more effectively than oral bile reinfusion. Internal reinfusion significantly accelerates bilirubin normalization, improves hepatic synthetic and nutritional status, reduces gastrointestinal symptoms, and enhances quality of life without increasing complications. Internal bile reinfusion represents a safe, practical, and superior postoperative bile management strategy after percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage.