Cholangoitis

Review

Cholangoitis is a serious life-threatening condition that almost always occurs in the field of partial or complete obstruction of the bile ducts, when the bile is congested and infected by microbes from the intestine. The most common cause of obstruction is choledocholithiasis (very often secondary to cholecystolithiasis), which corresponds to the high prevalence of cholelithiasis in the population. In the presented algorithm, a typical patient is very well described, it emphasize the need for quality history and physical examination in combination with the correct evaluation of laboratory results and findings of imaging methods for rapid diagnosis. The therapeutic process points to the importance of early causal treatment (administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and biliary drainage) to prevent severe local (liver abscesses) and systemic complications (MODS), while emphasizing the initial assessment of the patient´s clinical condition and therefore considering hospitalization in intensive care to ensure vital functions. Finally, a possible complication of the performed endoscopic examination and its solution is described. The authors were able to squeeze a huge amount of important information into a simple algorithm, which in this (very fun and attractive) form will certainly help to quickly understand the issue and transfer theoretical knowledge into practice.