Solitary percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage tract metastasis after curative resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: report of a case

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) has been widely used, but it has a potential risk of tumor spread along the catheter tract. We herein present a case of solitary PTBD tract metastasis after curative resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Initially, endoscopic nasobiliary drainage was done on a 65 year-old female patient, but the cholangitis did not resolve. Thus a PTBD catheter was inserted into the right posterior duct. Right portal vein embolization was also performed. Curative surgery including right hepatectomy and bile duct resection was performed 16 days after PTBD. After 12 months, serum CA19-9 had increased gradually without any symptoms. Finally, a small right pleural metastasis was found through strict tumor surveillance for 6 months. Chemoradiation therapy was performed, but there was no response to treatment. As the tumor progressed, she complained of severe dyspnea and finally died from tumor dissemination to the chest and bones 18 months after the first detection of PTBD tract recurrence and 36 months after surgery. No intra-abdominal recurrence was found until the terminal stage. This PTBD tract recurrence was attributed to the PTBD even though it was in place for only 16 days. Although such recurrence is rare, its risk should be taken into account during follow-up of patients who have received PTBD before.

Long-Term Results of a Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy for Biliary-Tract Cancer

PURPOSE: The majority of carcinomas of the biliary tract are often diagnosed at an advanced stage, despite improved diagnostic capabilities. Aggressive surgery is generally recommended in an attempt to cure the advanced disease because only complete resection of the tumor can provide a chance to improve the survival rate. Thus, the purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of a hepatopancreato duodenectomy (HPD) in patients with both advanced gallbladder cancer directly invading adjacent organs and diffuse bile-duct cancer by analyzing the long term results of an HPD. METHODS: Forty patients underwent an HPD at Asan Medical Center from December 1993 to May 1999, and their cases were retrospectively reviewed. Gallbladder cancers was present in 14 of the patients and bile-duct cancers in 24 cases; the other 2 cases were benign. Cancers were classified by using the criteria of the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC). Survival curves were calculated by using the Kaplan-Meier method. The median follow-up was 35 months. RESULTS: Hepatectomies varied from a right trisegmentectomy to an S4aS5 subsegmentectomy. There were 19 (47.5%) major postoperative complications, including intraabdominal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, liver abscess, and others. Of the 14 patients experiencing tumor recurrence, 7 (50%) cases involved the remnant liver. There were 4 (10%) perioperative mortalities. The 5 (22.7%) patients who with stage IVa and IVb cancer (22 cases) survived more than 3 years are all still alive and without tumor recurrence. The 1-and 3-year cumulative survival rates for gallbladder cancer were 83.3% and 48.5%, respectively, and those for bile-duct cancer were 83.3% and 49.7%. The differences in survival between the groups was not statistically significant, excluding perioperative deaths. The median survival was 13.7 months. CONCLUSION: An HPD is indicated for either advanced gallbladdercancer or diffuse bile-duct cancer because complete resection through this surgical procedure can provide a chance to improve survival. It is necessary to decrease perioperative mortality and morbidity by complete preoperative evaluation, meticulous operative manipulation, and intensive postoperative care.