Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) was performed 27 times in 24 patients with obstructivejaundice, from May, 1981 to Oct. 1982 at Departement of Radiology Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, Collegeof Medicine. Internal drainage was performed in 5 cases and external drainage in 19 cases. Daily drainage amountwas correlated with the decline of serum billirubin level. Six patients with sepsis were all improved after PTBD.This procedure effectively decompresses the sevely obstructed biliary tree prior to surgery. palliates theclinical problems in patient with unresectable malignant obstruction and controls sepsis effectively.