Acute cholangitis: causes and treatment

Acute cholangitis is an inflammation of the bile ducts. It’s usually caused by a bacterial infection. 

How is acute cholangitis diagnosed?

How is acute cholangitis treated?



Different things can stop bile from flowing as normal, but the most common cause is stones in your bile duct.

If you have acute cholangitis, you may have pain and tenderness in the upper right side of your tummy, fever and yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (known as [jaundice](/health-library/conditions/jaundice)).

## How is acute cholangitis diagnosed?

To diagnose acute cholangitis, a doctor will usually ask about your symptoms and any medical conditions you have or have had in the past. They will often also do a physical examination.

You may also need tests, including:

- blood tests – to check your liver function and for infection
- imaging tests – usually an [ultrasound scan](/health-library/medical-exams/ultrasound-scan)


::: body-ad-desktop
zones:: 232632,232441,232640
types:: 163
disclaimer:: AD
typeFilter:: native_ad
adCount:: 1

:::


::: body-ad-mobile
zones:: 232632,232441,232642
types:: 5,163
disclaimer:: ADVERTISEMENT
typeFilter:: display/native_ad
adCount:: 1

:::

## How is acute cholangitis treated?

You will usually need antibiotics to treat acute cholangitis. In some cases, you may also need to have your bile ducts drained, using a special type of imaging procedure (called endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography [ERCP]) or an operation.

error

 There was an error when submitting your feedback – have a screen break then try again in a few minutes.

Oh no, something’s gone wrong

ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS?

initial

This isn’t helpful

This isn’t relevant

Something is wrong

This isn’t accurate

Please select one.

loading

success

We're listening – we use your feedback to improve your experience, and make our content more helpful.

Thank you for your feedback

References

Dr Lauretta Ihonor

Dr Ann Nainan

Article information

All of Healthily's articles undergo medical safety checks to verify that the information is medically safe. View more details in our <a href="/safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">safety page</a>, or read our <a href="/legal/editorial-policy-principles" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">editorial policy</a>.

Acute cholangitis is an inflammation of the bile ducts that’s usually caused by a bacterial infection. It can cause your skin and the white of your eyes to turn yellow. Find out more about the symptoms of acute cholangitis and how to treat it.