Hemipancreatoduodenectomy has remained afflicted with high postoperative morbidity rates. Preoperative icterus is considered a significant risk factor. Therefore, a preoperative biliary drainage has been considered a standard preoperative procedure. This study aims to assess the preoperative drainage of the biliary tract significance with respect to the postoperative complications rates. Subjects and Methodology: This retrospective study includes 304 patients after completed hemipancreatoduodenectomies, who were operated in the Ist Surgical Clinic of the 1st Medical Faculty of the Charles University and the General Faculty Hospital in Prague between January 1990 and December 2002. In this trial group, 144 patients had underwent preoperative drainage of the biliary ducts and 160 patients underwent surgical procedures without the preoperative drainage. Results: In the trial group, no significant difference in the gender rates, the history of the risk factors, the surgical procedure duration, the perioperative blood loss and the disease stage was detected. The patient trial group with the preoperative drainage of the biliary ducts completed was statistically significantly older (p = 0.05), had higher serum bilirubin levels recorded (118, respectively 81, p = 0.01), had more complications recorded postoperatively (42.4%, respectively 25%; p = 0.05), and more infectious complications (29%, respectively 13%; p = 0.05) when compared with the trial group without the preoperative drainage completed. Upon comparison of the both groups, we have not detected any statistically significant differences regarding the time interval between the diagnosis and the surgical procedure, the hospitalization duration or the mortality rates. Conclusion: The operated who had had the internal drainage of the biliary ducts conduted preoperatively, suffered from more complications in total as well as from more infectious complications, compared with the patients without the drainage. On the other hand, the patients who had had the preoperative drainage completed were older and had had higher preoperative bilirubin levels. With respect to the above results we strongly advise the patients with the pancreatic head carcinoma to early consult a hepatobiliary surgeon. As far as the examination algorithm is concerned, we strongly recommend using not only the spiral CT, but also non-invasive methods of examination (the MRI and the MRI cholangiography).

        Key words: carcinoma – pancreas – drainage of the biliary duct – postoperative complications