Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Jun 16, 2026; 18(6): 119164
Published online Jun 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i6.119164
Published online Jun 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i6.119164
Letter to the Editor: Bilirubin normalization: A crucial outcome to assess in biliary drainage
Alberto Martino, Francesco Paolo Zito, Annalisa de Leone, Savio Saviano, Raffaele Bennato, Giovanni Lombardi, Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, AORN “Antonio Cardarelli”, Napoli 80131, Italy
Author contributions: Martino A wrote the original draft and contributed to conceptualization and reviewing; Zito FP, de Leone A, Saviano S, and Bennato R contributed to writing, reviewing and editing; Lombardi G reviewed the paper for important intellectual content; and all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Alberto Martino, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, AORN “Antonio Cardarelli”, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, Napoli 80131, Italy.
Received: January 20, 2026
Revised: February 2, 2026
Accepted: March 9, 2026
Published online: June 16, 2026
Processing time: 141 Days and 6.8 Hours
Revised: February 2, 2026
Accepted: March 9, 2026
Published online: June 16, 2026
Processing time: 141 Days and 6.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The bilirubin normalization is a key outcome in biliary drainage, especially in the malignant setting. However, despite its profound effect on clinical and oncological outcomes, the bilirubin normalization rate is generally underreported. Its systematic and standardized assessment should be strongly encouraged in future trials.