Clinical observation of Chaihu Qingdan decoction in treating acute severe cholangitis after endoscopic biliary drainage / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To observe the clinical effect of using Chaihu Qingdan decoction in the treatment of acute severe cholangitis (ACST) after endoscopic biliary drainage (ENBD). Methods One hundred and thirty two patients with ACST with ENBD admitted to Dongli District Hospital of Tianjin from October 2016 to October 2017, they were divided into a control group (42 cases) and a Chaihu Qingdan decoction group (90 cases) according to whether the patients accepted traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment or not. The patients in the control group and the Chaihu Qingdan decoction group (combined group) were all treated with ENBD; the control group received routine anti-inflammatory treatment; the combined group, on the basis of conventional anti-inflammatory treatment, additionally was treated with Chaihu Qingdan decoction (composition: bupleurum chinense 18 g, capillary artemisia 30 g, astragalus root 20 g, radix paeoniae rubra 20 g, radix scutellariae 15 g, radix scutellariae 15 g, polygoni 15 g, rhododendron bungeanum 30 g, red cane 30 g, forsythia 20 g, bergamot15 g), 1 dose per day, 2 times daily, 10 days constituting a therapeutic course. After treatment, the difference of operation success rate, abdominal pain relief time, postoperative body temperature return to normal time, liver function, the incidence of postoperative complications, hospitalization time were observed. Results The success rate of operation in the combined group was higher than that in the control group [97.78% (88/90) vs. 95.24% (40/42)], but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05); the relief time of abdominal pain in the combined group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (days: 6.1±1.1 vs. 7.4±1.5, P < 0.05), and the postoperative body temperature return to normal time in combined group was obviously shorter than that in the control group (days: 2.1±0.4 vs. 2.2±0.6, P > 0.05). With the prolongation of treatment, the levels of body temperature, white blood cell count (WBC), direct bilirubin (DBil), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were decreased gradually in both groups, reaching the lowest levels on 10 days after treatment, and the above indexes in the combined group were significantly lower than those in the control group [body temperature (℃):36.44±0.24 vs. 37.04±0.39, WBC (×109/L): 7.03±1.23 vs. 8.92±2.11, DBil (μmol/L): 12.03±4.53 vs. 20.32±6.12, ALT (U/L): 31.23±4.23 vs. 68.92±6.19, AST (U/L): 34.03±11.23 vs. 78.92±22.19, all P < 0.05]; after treatment, the total bilirubin (TBil) in both groups was lower than that before treatment, and the combined group was significantly lower than that in the control group after treatment (μmol/L: 61.59±11.64 vs. 82.33±12.05, P < 0.05); the incidence of complications in the combined group was significantly lower than that in the control group [3.33% (3/90) vs. 28.57% (12/42), P < 0.05], and the hospitalization time was shorter in the combined group than that in the control group (days:11.4±2.2 vs. 18.2±3.4, P < 0.05). Conclusion For patients with severe biliary tract inflammation, ENBD combined with Chaihu Qingdan decoction can reduce postoperative complications, reduce abdominal pain relief time, and accelerate liver function recovery.

Preoperative biliary drainage for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: A Meta-analysis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To systematically review the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) versus endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) for preoperative biliary drainage in patients with Klatskin Tumors.Methods The Pubmed,Embase,Web of Science,CNKI,VIP and WanFang Data from January 1998 to December 2017 were searched for published studies which compared endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) for preoperative biliary drainage.A Meta-analysis was then performed using the Revman 5.3 software.Results Seven cohort studies were included.There were 366 patients in the PTBD group,and 400 patients in the EBD groups.When compared with EBD,PTBD was associated with a lower risk of cholangitis (OR=0.31,95％ CI 0.20～0.48,P＜0.05),a lower risk of pancreatitis (OR=0.11,95％ CI 0.04 ～ 0.34,P＜0.05),and a lower risk of overall complications (OR=0.48,95％ CI 0.30 ～ 0.77,P=0.002).The rate of conversion from one procedure to the other was significantly lower in the PTBD group than the EBD group.The initial technical success rate and postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were similar in the 2 groups.Conclusion In patients with Klatskin tumors who require PBD,PTBD is a better initial biliary drainage method with lower incidences of procedure-related cholangitis,pancreatitis overall complications and conversion to other drainage procedures.

The impact and the risk factors of different preoperative biliary drainage procedures for patients with malignant obstruction jaundice on overall survival : a Meta-analysis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To determine the impact and the risk factors of different methods of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) for malignant obstruction jaundice (MOJ) on overall survival (OS).Methods Databases including the PubMed,Medline,Web of Knowledge,and other databases were searched up to 30th April,2018 for clinical studies which compared the OS rates between percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) for MOJ.Hazard ratio (HR) and Odds Ratio (OR) with 95％ confidence interval (CI) were performed using the Review Manager 5.3 software to synthesize the results.Results Nine studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis,which included 818 patients in the PTBD group and 1253 patients in the EBD group.EBD was shown to be superior to PTBD in OS (HR=0.63,95％ CI:0.51～0.77,P＜0.05).Risk factors analysis showed that patients in the EBD group had a higher rate of early tumor stage (P＜0.05) and a lower rate of lymphatic metastasis (P＜0.05).When compared with the PTBD group,the EBD group had a lower rate of intraoperative bleeding (P＜0.05),and a higher rate of adjuvant therapy (P＜0.05).Conclusion In PBD for patients with resectable MOJ,there was insufficient evidence to support EBD to be superior to PTBD in OS.

Selection of the best preoperative biliary drainage method for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma: a Meta-analysis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To select the best preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) method for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods The PubMed,EMBASE,Web of Science,CNKI,and Wanfang Database were systematically searched for prospective or retrospective studies on biliary drainage for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma with obstructive jaundice.The drainage-related cholangitis,pancreatitis,hemorrhage,and the success rate in relieving jaundice were analyzed.The meta-analysis was performed using the Review Manager 5.3 and the stata 12.0 using a fixed or random effects model.Results This meta-analysis included 12 studies with 1567 patients.The results showed a lower risk of cholangitis with PTBD than EBD (RR=0.60,95％CI:0.39～0.95,P＜0.05).PTBD also resulted in a lower risk of pancreatitis than EBD (RR=0.30,95％CI:0.15～0.59,P＜0.05),and a higher rate of successful relief of cholestatic jaundice (RR=2.77,95％CI:1.79～4.28,P＜0.05).However,the risk of bleeding for PTBD was higher (RR=2.38,95％ CI:1.12～5.05,P＜0.05),the risk of intraoperative blood transfusion increased (RR=1.59,95％ CI:1.05-2.42,P＜0.05),and the risk of celiac metastasis was also increased (PR=3.24,95％CI:1.15～9.12,P＜0.05) when compared with EBD.The incidence of celiac metastasis was as high as 4.2％.There were no significant differences between PTBD and EBD in the rates of bile leakage,intra-abdominal abscesses,hemorrhage,R0 resection,postoperative hospital stay postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality,what's more,there were no significant differences in the incidence of cholangitis,pancreatitis,and liver abscess between ENBD and EBS.Conclusions The postoperative hospital stay was similar between the two groups.ENBD was a better choice than PTBD for patients who required PBD.PTBD could be used after the failure of ENBD.

A Comparison of Preoperative Biliary Drainage Methods for Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma: Endoscopic versus Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Controversy remains over the optimal approach to preoperative biliary drainage in patients with resectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. We compared the clinical outcomes of endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) with those of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) in patients undergoing preoperative biliary drainage for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 106 consecutive patients who underwent biliary drainage before surgical treatment were divided into two groups: the PTBD group (n=62) and the EBD group (n=44). RESULTS: Successful drainage on the first attempt was achieved in 36 of 62 patients (58.1%) with PTBD, and in 25 of 44 patients (56.8%) with EBD. There were no significant differences in predrainage patient demographics and decompression periods between the two groups. Procedure-related complications, especially cholangitis and pancreatitis, were significantly more frequent in the EBD group than the PTBD group (PTBD vs EBD: 22.6% vs 54.5%, p<0.001). Two patients (3.8%) in the PTBD group experienced catheter tract implantation metastasis after curative resection during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: EBD was associated with a higher risk of procedure-related complications than PTBD. These complications were managed properly without severe morbidity; however, in the PTBD group, there were two cases of cancer dissemination along the catheter tract.

Clinicomicrobiological analysis of patients with cholangitis.

Acute cholangitis is inflammation of biliary ductal system from infection with an associated biliary obstruction. This retrospective study was done to determine the factors responsible for cholangitis and the microbiological profile of the bile in patients with cholangitis. In the study involving 348 patients, 36.4% had associated malignancy. A total of 54% of the bile samples were positive for aerobic culture. Nearly 66-73% of the Escherichia coli and Klebsiella isolates were Extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) producers. Two isolates of Candida spps were also obtained. Polymicrobial infection was seen in 31.5% of the culture positive cases. Ideal antibiotics in case of cholangitis would be those which are excreted in the bile such as third‑generation cephalosporins, ureidopenicillins, carbapenems and fluoroquinolones to combat resistance and polymicrobial aetiology. Anti‑fungal drugs may also be necessary if the patient is not responding to biliary decompression and antibacterial agents to prevent fungaemia.

Evidence-Based Decompression in Malignant Biliary Obstruction

As recent advances in chemotherapy and surgical treatment have improved outcomes in patients with biliary cancers, the search for an optimal strategy for relief of their obstructive jaundice has become even more important. Without satisfactory relief of biliary obstruction, many patients would be ineligible for treatment. We review all prospective randomized trials and recent retrospective non-randomized studies for evidence that would support such a strategy. For distal malignant biliary obstruction, an optimal strategy would be insertion of metallic stents either endoscopically or percutaneously. Evidence shows that a metallic stent inserted percutaneously has better outcomes than plastic stents inserted endoscopically. For malignant hilar obstruction, percutaneous biliary drainage with or without metallic stents is preferred.

The Clinical Efficacy of Uisng a Soehendra Stent Retriever for Endoscopic Biliary Drainage in Malignant Biliary Obstruction / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic biliary drainage is widely used for the palliative treatment of malignant biliary obstruction. For the advanced stricture, the general treatments such as a dilating or balloon catheter can not fully expand a duct. The authors used a Soehendra Stent Retriever for these cases, and we evaluated the value of using this instrument for treating these patients. METHODS: From July 2006 to Jun 2008, we studied 12 patients with mailignant biliary obstruction (Klatskin's tumor=10, Gall bladder cancer=2) and who were failed at having a stent inserted with such general treatment such as using a dilating or balloon catheter (M: F=7:5, age=69.1 years old). For the bilateral biliary drainage of the duct, the "stent in stent" method was used and 12 patients were treated with a Soehendra Stent Retriever with clockwise rotation, as well as going forward to expand the target area of the intrahepatic bile duct obstruction and insert a metal stent. RESULTS: Ten patients among the 12 who were treated by a Soehendra Stent Retriever achieved successful insertion of a stent (technical success, 83.3%), and all 12 patients showed improvement of their jaundice. CONCLUSIONS: To insert bilateral stents for the advanced malignant biliary obstruction, expanding the strictured area with a Soehendra Stent Retriever can improve the success of inserting a stent.

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Long Term Outcome after Endoscopic Stenting for Benign Biliary Stricture / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The problem with endoscopic management for benign biliary stricture is the occurrence of restenosis after removal of biliary stents. However the factors that influence the rate of restenosis have not yet been identified. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that affect patency of the bile duct after removal of an endoscopic stent for management of benign biliary stricture. METHODS: The medical records and potential factors that influence biliary restenosis were analyzed in 19 patients with benign biliary stricture. RESULTS: At the time of stent removal, successful stricture resolution was noted in 13 out of 19 patients. Among these 13 patients, good biliary patency, without restenosis, was observed in 10 patients during a mean follow-up of 24 months. The time interval, from biliary surgery to stricture, tended to be shorter in the group with good results compared to the group with poor results (6.2+/-3.3 months vs. 80.2+/-139.3 months respectively: p=0.07). Other factors did not affect the rate of restenosis after removal of the stent. CONCLUSIONS: The time interval, from biliary surgery to stricture, tends to influence restenosis after endoscopic management for benign biliary stricture.

Comparison of Survival of Advanced Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma after Biliary Drainage Alone versus Photodynamic Therapy with External Drainage / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has a promising effect on non-resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to compare overall survival of PDT plus biliary drainage versus biliary stent alone in advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: Twenty patients who were treated with endoscopic biliary drainage alone (Group A) and 27 patients treated with PDT under percutaneous cholangioscopy and additional percutaneous biliary drainage (Group B) were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean bilirubin level declined effectively in both group after treatment. One-year survival was 28% in group A, 52% in group B (p<0.05). Median survival time was 288 days in group A, 558 days in group B (p=0.0143). CONCLUSIONS: PDT under percutaneous cholangioscopy seems to be more effective in extending survival than biliary drainage alone in advanced hilar tumor. To investigate whether PDT can increase survival rates, further prospective, randomized study is needed.

Endoscopic Biliary Drainage Using Soehendra Stent Retriever in Difficult Malignant Biliary Stricture / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) has been used effectively as the palliative treatment for malignant biliary obstruction. In high grade strictures, endoscopic stenting can be achieved by dilating devices such as dilating or balloon catheters. Subgroup of malignant biliary obstructions are too stenotic to allow passage of plastic or metal stents. In cases of failure of conventional stenting, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the 7-Fr Soehendra stent retriever (SSR) used as a dilator. METHODS: From January 1999 to September 2001, 14 patients with malignant pancreaticobiliary stirictures (2 pancreatic, 12 biliary) that could not be traversed with plastic or metal stents, underwent stricture dilation with SSR. An endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed and a guide wire was inserted beyond the stricture. Then the SSR was introduced over the guide wire via duodenoscope. Then the stricture was traversed by torquing the SSR clockwise while pushing it. The SSR was removed and then the plastic or metal stents were inserted above the stricture. RESULTS: Of the 14 patients, 13 patients (93%) underwent successful stenting using SSR. Symptom relief was observed in all patients after endoscopic biliary stenting. One patient (7%) went on to percutaneous biliary drainage because we failed to insert the metal stent into the stenotic left hepatic duct after traversing the stricture with SSR. There were no significant complications such as bile duct or duodenal perforation and bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: The Soehendra stent retriever is useful and safe for dilation with subsequent stent placement of malignant pancreaticobiliary stirictures resistant to conventional stenting. However, this device may be difficult to pass a tortuous or small-diameter hilar stricture.

Three Case of Acute Pancreatitis Complicating Endoscopic Insertion of the Biliary Stent / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Acute pancreatitis is one of the major complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST). Various etiology such as mechanical, chemical, hydrostatic, and thermal factor are thought to be involved for this procedure-related pancreatitis. However, acute pancreatitis can occur as a direct complication of endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD). Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, it is postulated that the stent compresses pancreatic ductal orifice and resultant pancreatic outflow obstruction actually provokes pancreatitis. Using the larger stent diameter over 10 Fr and a straight stent rather than curved one, proximal rather than distal bile duct obstruction are risk factors for stent-induced pancreatitis. We report on three cases of acute pancreatitis complicating the EBD with a plastic stent, nasobiliary catheter, and covered-metallic stent respectively.

Biliary Tract & Pancreas; Bronchobiliary Fistula Secondary to Hepatic Resection: Treatment by endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Bronchobiliary fistula (BBF) is a rare disorder, defined as opening of a passage between the bronchial tree and the biliary tract and presence of bile in the sputum (biloptysis). BBF usually occurs either in the congenital form or following multiple causes, including mainly thoracoabdominal trauma, liver abscess, parasitic liver disease, choledocholithiasis, and post operative biliary stenosis. The cardinal clinical features were respiratory symptoms, jaundice, and cholangitis. Management of fistula is often very difficult and can be associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Early recognition and proper management are essential to avoid a fatal outcome. To date, surgery has been favored as the most efficient therapeutic option, although percutmeous approaches, and more recently, endoscopic sphincterotomy and stent insertion, have succeeded in resolving certain kind of BBF. We are reporting a case of BBF secondary to hepatic resection of hepatocelluar carcinoma which was managed by endoscopic retrograde biliary stenting for keeping optimal bile drainage and surgical operation for resection of recurred tumor and removal of subphrenic abscess,

Metallic EndoCoilTM Stent Application for Patients with Malignant Obstructive Jaundice / 대한소화기내시경학회지

We report our experience in five patients with malignant obstructive jaundice with a new self expandable metallic stent, a coil spring made from nickel-titanium alloy. Endoscopic biliary drainage(EBD) is a safe and effective noninvasive biliary drainage method and is indicated with malignant obstructive jaundice. In order to avoid being limited by the size of the instrumentation channel of the endoscope, expandable stents have been developed. The main problems with these expandable metal stents are tumor ingrowth leading to reobstruction, migration of the stent from its original position, and epithelial trauma by the distal hard edges of the stent. The new super-elastic metallic coil stent which has a very strong radial force (EndoCoil'" stent, Instent Co.) was developed to solve the above mentioned problems. The stent which is constricted over an introducing catheter is inserted by transduodenal approach. It expands spontaneously after release to its original 8 mm diameter. During the last 6.5 rnonths, 5 stents were inserted in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma and cancer of the ampulla of Vater to releave jaundice. Clinical improvement was achieved in all the patients except in one who died from multiple organ metastasis. After a mean follow-up of 6 month., patients had no evidence of biliary reobstruction. Although follow-up is short, these results are encouraging, and this new metallic stent seems to have several advantages over the current commercially available ones.

A Case of Duodenal Perforation following Endoscopic Biliary Drainage (EBD) / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Placement of an endoprosthesis for palliative decompression of biliary obstruction has been advocated as an effective alternative for interanl-external drainage catheters, of which the care and psychological impact of the external segment protruded through the skin has been a difficult problem. (continue...)