Fig. 2

Changes in Serum Total Bilirubin (T-Bil) and Liver Elasticity. Liver elasticity was measured before and after biliary drainage. a Transient Elastography (TE) and T-Bil values were elevated before drainage and significantly decreased at Day 7 after biliary drainage (left). Similarly, Virtual touch quantification-Left lobe (VTQ-L) and Virtual touch quantification-Right lobe (VTQ-R) values were elevated before drainage and significantly decreased at Day 7 after biliary drainage (right). b T-Bil, TE, VTQ-L, and VTQ-R values decreased rapidly from Day 0 to Day 2 in comparison with from Day 2 to Day 7 after biliary drainage. VTQ-L value was significantly higher than VTQ-R value in each measurement date (right). c In 10 patients, who underwent further assessment after Day 7, TE, VTQ-L, and VTQ-R values further decreased. Data are shown as means ± SE; ** P < 0.01 versus Day0; ††P < 0.01 versus VTQ-R