Your Recovery
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP)
If your biliary duct placement was done with ERCP, you probably will stay at the hospital or clinic for 1 to 2 hours. This will allow the numbing medicine and the medicine that helped you relax to wear off. You will be able to go home after your doctor or a nurse checks to make sure that you are not having any problems. If you stay in the hospital overnight, you may go home the next day.
You may have a sore throat for a day or two after the procedure.
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC)
If the placement was done with PTC, you will be on bedrest for several hours. Your healthcare team will monitor you closely for bleeding or other problems. You may have a tube in place that's connected to a collection bag or capped. How long the drain stays in place depends on what caused the problem with your bile duct. If the drain is to stay in place when you go home, your doctor will talk to you about this. You'll also get instructions about how to take care of the tube.
Your doctor will talk to you about when you can go home.
You may have some pain where the needle entered your skin (the puncture site). You may also have pain in your shoulder. This is called referred pain. It's caused by pain travelling along a nerve that goes to the liver. The referred pain usually lasts less than 12 hours. You may have a small amount of bleeding from the puncture site.
You will need to take it easy at home for 1 to 3 days after the PTC. You will probably be able to go back to work and most of your usual activities after that.
This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace. Follow the steps below to feel better as quickly as possible.
Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse advice line (811 in most provinces and territories) if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.
Where can you learn more?
Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd
Enter U812 in the search box to learn more about "Biliary Stent Placement: What to Expect at Home".