ABSTRACT
This animal study was designed to assess the tolerance of the normal bile duct to a single intraluminal high-dose-rate afterloading irradiation. This information is essential for treatment recommendations in irradiation therapy of malignant bile duct stenoses. In 16 pigs bile duct catheters were inserted surgically. Over these devices single intraductal doses of 7.5 Gy and 15 Gy were applied using an iridium-192 source. After a period of two to three months the bile ducts and the surrounding structures were investigated by means of cholangiography, angiography, and macropathological and histological investigations. A single intraductal dose of 7.5 Gy leads to a slightly scarred shrinkage of the bile duct with sclerosis and obliteration of the capillary vessels. Vasculitis and necrosis of the bile duct wall are still evident three months after irradiation. A single dose of 15 Gy leads to severe lesions with widespread necroses of the bile duct wall which tend to bleed, and result in a high degree of shrinkage of the bile duct. The radiation damage is most prevalent near the papilla and in the narrow segments near the liver. Single intraluminal high-dose-rate afterloading doses of 7.5 and 15 Gy cause significant lesions and complications at the bile ducts. As the intact bile duct is the Achilles heel of intraductal therapy, considerably lower single doses are recommended for a fractioned treatment.