Riyadh, Jan. 2 (BNA): A medical team at Riyadh-based King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) successfully managed to divert the course of the bile ducts in the liver into the small intestine, using a non-surgical gastrointestinal endoscope, for a patient suffering from an advanced tumor in the pancreas gland, a medical precedent in Saudi Arabia.

The modification, previously operated through surgical intervention, was carried out to remove the Bilirubin, the continuous accumulation of bile in the blood system, produced by the liver, SPA reported.

The operation was performed under the supervision of KFSHRC Gastroenterologist Dr. Abdulrahman Al Fada and Dr. Aymen Al Muhaidib by using an ultrasound scope and fixed specialized stents to modify the drainage path.

Dr. Al Fada said that the procedure aimed to open the duodenum (small intestine) and bile ducts using a needle, guided by an ultrasound scope, and placing a large iron stent to form a bridge for the bile juice to pave the way for its exit to the small intestine and prevent yolk retention, adding that this kind of operation used to be performed through surgery.

Dr. Al Muhaidib added that the procedure lasted for one hour, during which the blockage in the bile ducts is removed without surgery or an external cyst, enabling tumor patients to obtain chemotherapy, an option not available to them when the hepatic bile juice increases.

Source: Bahrain News Agency