Intrahepatic biliary injury caused by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients of hepatic malignancies / 中华普通外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate CT findings, diagnosis and management of intrahepatic biliary injuries after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for liver malignancies. Methods A total of 1302 patients with hepatic malignant tumors received TACE between Sep 2007 and Mar 2009. None of these patients were found to have any radiographic evidence of biliary abnormalities before TACE. A retrospective review of imaging studies and clinical outcomes was carried out to evaluate the changes of intrahepatic biliary injuries after TACE. Results Six patients developed intrahepatic biliary injuries during 1 and 3-month follow-up. Two cases with jaundice and high fever, underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and drainage and eventually recovered. The other 4 patients were asymptomatic with only radiographic changes and were managed observationally. Conclusions Intrahepatic biliary injury is a rare complicating TACE procedures. It will be identified by clinical outcomes and radiographic imaging findings. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and drainage (PTCD) is the therapy of choice for intrahepatic biliary injuries with jaundice or high fever.