T-tubes: Past, present, and future

doi:10.4240/wjgs.120160

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World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

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1948-9366

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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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 Surg. Jun 27, 2026; 18(6): 120160
Published online Jun 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.120160

T-tubes: Past, present, and future

Sukayna Fathima Nizar, Vishal G Shelat

Sukayna Fathima Nizar, Department of General Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore

Vishal G Shelat, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433, Singapore

Author contributions: Shelat VG conceptualized and designed the study, supervised, and made critical revisions; Nizar SF and Shelat VG conducted the literature review, consolidated the data, drafted the manuscript, and made critical revisions; all authors contributed to preparation of the draft and approved the submitted version.

Conflict-of-interest statement: Both authors have no conflicts to declare.

Corresponding author: Vishal G Shelat, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433, Singapore. vgshelat@gmail.com

Received: February 24, 2026
Revised: March 7, 2026
Accepted: April 7, 2026
Published online: June 27, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 5.8 Hours

Core Tip

Core Tip: The T-tube should no longer be viewed as a routine postoperative drain in biliary surgery. Its contemporary role is selective: A temporary interface for decompression, access, and control in high-risk biliary situations, especially vulnerable biliary-enteric reconstructions. Any benefit, however, depends on disciplined postoperative stewardship, including tube care, monitoring, imaging, and safe removal. The future is not a return to routine T-tube use, but refinement of its indications and replacement of externalized drainage where newer technologies can provide safer temporary support.

Nizar SF, Shelat VG. T-tubes: Past, present, and future. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(6): 120160 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.120160]

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