Acute suppurative cholangitis is one of the common causes of acute abdomen in Taiwan. Emergency decompression is a life-saving procedure if patients fail to respond to antibiotic treatment. From July 1988 to June 1991, 224 patients were encountered with concomitant bile duct stones and cholangitis; 40 were brought to the emergency service with shock or mental confusion or responded poorly to antibiotic treatment. The patients consisted of 20 males and 20 females aged 21-81 years (mean age 64 years); 55% had intrahepatic duct stones, 50% had positive blood culture, 38% had undergone previous biliary surgery, 25% had concomitant medical illnesses and 20% presented with mental confusion. Emergent endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) was performed within 48 h of each patient's arrival in the emergency room. In 3 days all the patients exhibited significant improvement as defined by body temperature, vital signs, white blood cell count, serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphates levels. When their condition had stabilized, 21 patients underwent elective surgery. Six patients received ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid infusion through an ENBD tube. Two of the patients' stones dissolved completely. Six patients received papillotomy with stone removal. The remaining patients refused further treatment. There was no hospital mortality. It is therefore concluded that ENBD offers an effective treatment for acute calculus suppurative cholangitis and it is a potential route of administration for the chemical dissolution of bile duct stones.