术前减黄对重症黄疸患者行胰十二指肠切除术的影响

目的　探讨术前以手术方法减轻梗阻性黄疸 (减黄 )对壶腹周围癌伴重度黄疸患者行胰十二指肠切除术 (PD )的影响。方法　回顾分析对比 2 2例壶腹周围癌伴重度黄疸患者PD术前行减黄手术 (减黄组 ) ,与 3 0例直接行PD手术 (未减黄组 )患者的临床资料。结果　两组临床资料具有可比性 (P >0 .0 5 )。两组均行经典式PD手术 ,减黄组手术时间及术中出血量分别为 3 44(2 40～5 70 )min及 10 5 7(60 0～ 2 10 0 )ml ,较未减黄组的 3 0 6(2 10～ 490 )min及 90 8(2 0 0～ 2 0 0 0 )ml有增多趋势 ,但无统计学差异 (P >0 .0 5 )。减黄组术中输血量为 13 0 0 (80 0～ 2 40 0 )ml ,较未减黄组的93 9(0～ 2 40 0 )ml明显增多 (t =2 .0 5 7,P <0 .0 5 )。术后并发症发生率减黄组为 5 9.1% (13 /2 2 ) ,未减黄组为 5 3 .3 % (16/3 0 ) ,手术死亡率减黄组为 4.5 % (1/2 2 ) ,未减黄组为 6.7% (2 /3 0 ) ,两组比较差异均无显著性 (均P >0 .0 5 )。但在总住院时间上减黄组为 71(4 3～ 10 1)d ,较未减黄组的 47(2 9～ 81)d明显延长 (t =-3 .3 2 2 ,P <0 .0 5 )。结论　对伴有重度梗阻性黄疸的壶腹周围癌患者 ,若能充分进行术前准备 ,一期行PD手术利大于弊。     

Periampullary tumors

BACKGROUND: During the last 2 decades, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been widely used for the diagnosis of periampullary tumors and the preoperative or definitive treatment of jaundice. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 319 consecutive patients (184 men and 135 women with an average age of 66.5 years) who underwent ERCP for periampullary tumors between 1987 and 1999. RESULTS: Endoscopic internal biliary drainage was successful in 293 patients (92%), with some differences due to the origin of the tumor. There were five complications (1.5%), including four bleeds and one retroduodenal perforation. There were no deaths related to the endoscopic drainage. Eighty-four patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. The postoperative morbidity rate was 23%, and the overall mortality rate was 4.8%. CONCLUSION: ERCP is a valid technique for the detailed preoperative assessment of periampullary tumors. It is also a safe method for internal biliary drainage.     

The effect of preoperative biliary drainage on postoperative complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND:

The benefit of preoperative biliary drainage in jaundiced patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for a suspected malignancy of the periampullary region is still under debate. This study evaluated preoperative biliary drainage in relation to postoperative outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN:

At the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, a cohort of 311 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy from June 1992 up to and including December 1999 was studied. Of this cohort 21 patients with external or surgical biliary drainage were excluded and 232 patients who had received preoperative internal biliary drainage were divided into three groups corresponding with severity of jaundice according to preoperative plasma bilirubin levels: < 40 μM (n = 177), 40 to 100 μM (n = 32), and > 100 μM (n = 23) were designated as groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. These groups were compared with patients who underwent immediate surgery (n = 58) without preoperative drainage.

RESULTS:

The median number of stent (re)placements was 2 (range 1 to 6) with a median drainage duration of 41 days (range 2 to 182 days) and a stent dysfunction rate of 33%. Although patients in group 1 were better drained than patients in groups 2 and 3 (median reduction of bilirubin levels 82%, 57%, and 37%, respectively, p < 0.01), there was no difference in overall morbidity among the drained groups (50%, 50%, and 52%, respectively). There was no significant difference in overall morbidity between patients with and without preoperative biliary drainage (50% and 55%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

Preoperative biliary drainage did not influence the incidence of postoperative complications, and although it can be performed safely in jaundiced patients it should not be used routinely.     

Incidence and outcome of biliary strictures after pancreaticoduodenectomy

OBJECTIVE: This single-institution review examined the incidence of biliary stricture formation after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for benign and malignant periampullary disease. BACKGROUND: The incidence and course of stricture of the hepaticojejunostomy have not been documented after PD. METHODS: Between January 1995 and April 2003, 1595 patients underwent PD for periampullary disease (392 benign, 1203 malignant). A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database was performed to determine the incidence of biliary stricture after PD. RESULTS: Forty-two of the 1595 patients (2.6%) who underwent PD developed postoperative jaundice secondary to a stricture of the biliary-enteric anastomosis. There was no difference in the incidence of biliary strictures after resection for benign (n = 10, 2.6%) or malignant disease (n = 32, 2.6%). The median time to stricture formation resulting in jaundice was 13 months (range, 1-106 months) and was similar for patients with benign and malignant disease. Preoperative jaundice did not protect against biliary stricture formation. By univariate analysis, biliary strictures were associated with preoperative percutaneous biliary drainage (odds ratio [OR] = 2.11, P = 0.02) and postoperative biliary stenting (OR = 2.11, P = 0.013). Postoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with malignant disease was not associated with stricture formation. All strictures were initially managed with percutaneous biliary balloon dilatation and stenting, and only 2 patients required redo hepaticojejunostomy. Recurrent neoplastic disease was discovered in only 3 of the 32 patients (9%) with malignant disease. All 3 of these patients had cholangiocarcinoma as their initial diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Biliary stricture formation is an infrequent complication after PD and can be managed successfully with percutaneous biliary dilatation and short-term stenting in most patients. The only significant univariate predictors for biliary stricture formation were preoperative and postoperative percutaneous biliary drainage. The development of a biliary stricture in patients who have undergone PD for malignant disease is usually benign and should not be automatically attributed to anastomotic tumor recurrence.     

恶性梗阻性黄疸181例术前减黄临床分析

目的:观察恶性梗阻性黄疸病人术前减黄的临床疗效。方法:对181例恶性梗阻性黄疸病人术前行超声引导下经皮经肝胆道穿刺引流,并对肿瘤切除率、并发症发生率等指标进行了分析。结果:97例胰头癌中行胰十二指肠切除35例(36.1%),单纯内引流62例;84例胆管癌中行胰十二指肠切除14例,肝门部胆管癌切除19例,胆管中段癌切除7例,共计40例(47.6%);行单纯内引流者44例。术后发生并发症15例次,死亡3例。减黄速度平均每周递减30%以上者在肿瘤切除率、并发症发生率以及住院时间上均优于30%以下者;而减黄速度平均每周递减30%以上者,无论引流2周或3周,其肿瘤切除率及并发症发生率无显著差别。结论:恶性梗阻性黄疸病人行术前减黄后黄疸是否顺利下降,可作为预测手术风险、手术效果以及病人预后的指标,血清胆红素连续2周下降30%可作为选择手术时机的标准。     

Combined resection of aberrant right hepatic artery without anastomosis in panceaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer: A case report

IntroductionThis case report is intended to inform pancreas surgeons of our experience in operative management of aberrant pancreatic artery.Presentation of caseA 63-year-old woman was admitted to our institute’s Department of Surgery with obstructive jaundice, and the pancreas head tumor was found. To improve liver dysfunction, an endoscopic retrograde nasogastric biliary drainage tube was placed in the bile duct. Endoscopic fine-needle aspiration showed a pancreas head carcinoma invading the common bile duct, the aberrant right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, and the portal vein. Enhanced computed tomography showed the communicating artery between the right and left hepatic artery via the hepatic hilar plate. By way of imaging preoperative examination, a pancreaticoduodenectomy combined resection of the aberrant right hepatic artery and portal vein was conducted without arterial anastomosis. Hepatic arterial flow was confirmed by intraoperative Doppler ultrasonography, and R0 resection without tumor exposure at the dissected plane was achieved. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful.DiscussionIn this case report, perioperative detail examination by imaging diagnosis with respect to hepatic arterial communication to achieve curative resection in a pancreas head cancer was necessary. Non-anastomosis of hepatic artery was achieved, and the necessity of R0 resection was stressed by such management.ConclusionBy the preoperative and intraoperative imaging managements conducted, combined resection of the aberrant right hepatic artery without anastomosis was achieved by pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreas head cancer. However, improvements in imaging diagnosis and careful management of R0 resection are important.     

Preoperative biliary drainage for periampullary tumors causing obstructive jaundice; <Emphasis Type="Italic">DR</Emphasis> ainage vs. (direct) <Emphasis Type="Italic">OP</Emphasis> eration (DROP-trial)

Background

Surgery in patients with obstructive jaundice caused by a periampullary (pancreas, papilla, distal bile duct) tumor is associated with a higher risk of postoperative complications than in non-jaundiced patients. Preoperative biliary drainage was introduced in an attempt to improve the general condition and thus reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality. Early studies showed a reduction in morbidity. However, more recently the focus has shifted towards the negative effects of drainage, such as an increase of infectious complications. Whether biliary drainage should always be performed in jaundiced patients remains controversial. The randomized controlled multicenter DROP-trial (DRainage vs. Operation) was conceived to compare the outcome of a 'preoperative biliary drainage strategy' (standard strategy) with that of an 'early-surgery' strategy, with respect to the incidence of severe complications (primary-outcome measure), hospital stay, number of invasive diagnostic tests, costs, and quality of life.

Methods/design

Patients with obstructive jaundice due to a periampullary tumor, eligible for exploration after staging with CT scan, and scheduled to undergo a "curative" resection, will be randomized to either "early surgical treatment" (within one week) or "preoperative biliary drainage" (for 4 weeks) and subsequent surgical treatment (standard treatment). Primary outcome measure is the percentage of severe complications up to 90 days after surgery. The sample size calculation is based on the equivalence design for the primary outcome measure. If equivalence is found, the comparison of the secondary outcomes will be essential in selecting the preferred strategy. Based on a 40% complication rate for early surgical treatment and 48% for preoperative drainage, equivalence is taken to be demonstrated if the percentage of severe complications with early surgical treatment is not more than 10% higher compared to standard treatment: preoperative biliary drainage. Accounting for a 10% dropout, 105 patients are needed in each arm resulting in a study population of 210 (alpha = 0.95, beta = 0.8).

Discussion

The DROP-trial is a randomized controlled multicenter trial that will provide evidence whether or not preoperative biliary drainage is to be performed in patients with obstructive jaundice due to a periampullary tumor.

     

Merits, demerits and methods of preoperative biliary drainage for malignant obstructive jaundice

One hundred twenty-four patients with malignant obstructive jaundice undergoing Whipple's procedure were divided into two groups. Group I, 72 patients with an average preoperative serum bilirubin level of 13.3 mg/dl underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy after the level dropped to 5.88 mg/dl by preoperative external biliary drainage (21 patients with PTCD and 51 with cholecystostomy). Group II, 52 patients with a mean bilirubin level of 7.18 mg/dl received Whipple' procedure without preoperative drainage. There was no significant difference in mortality and morbidity between the two groups. We believed that biliary drainage is essential to patients with severe jaundice, otherwise the mortality and morbidity would be much higher AS to method of biliary drainage, we recommend cholecystostomy in hands not skillful with PTCD.     

Preoperative Biliary Drainage of Severely Jaundiced Patients Increases Morbidity of Pancreaticoduodenectomy: Results of a Case-Control Study

Background

Recent studies have indicated that preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) should not be routinely performed in patients suffering from obstructive jaundice before surgery. The severity of jaundice that mandates PBD has yet to be defined. Our aim was to investigate whether PBD is truly justified in severely jaundiced patients before pancreaticoduodenectomy. The parameters evaluated were overall morbidity, length of hospital stay, and total in-hospital mortality.

Methods

From January 2000 to December 2012, a total of 240 patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumors. Group A comprised 76 patients with preoperative serum bilirubin ≥15 mg/dl who did not undergo PBD before surgery. Group B comprised another 76 patients, matched for age and tumor localization (papillary vs. pancreatic head) who underwent PBD 2–4 weeks before pancreaticoduodenectomy and were identified from the same database.

Results

Less operative time was required in the ‘no PBD’ group compared with the ‘PBD’ group (210 vs. 240 min). Total intraoperative blood loss and blood transfusions were also significantly less in the ‘no PBD’ group. There was no difference detected in the rate of pancreatic fistula or biliary fistula formation. Group A patients demonstrated significantly lower morbidity than group B (24 vs. 36 %, respectively) and therefore required briefer hospitalization (11 vs. 16 days). Mild infectious complications appear to be the main factor that enhanced morbidity in the PBD group. However, total in-hospital mortality was not significantly different between the two groups.

Conclusions

Even severe jaundice should not be considered as an indication for PBD before pancreaticoduodenectomy, as PBD increases infections and postoperative morbidity, therefore delaying definite treatment.     

Pancreatic and periampullary carcinoma: Experience with 200 patients over a 12 year period

The operative management of 200 patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer was reviewed. Patients with metastatic disease and biliary obstruction are best treated by the nonoperative techniques of biopsy and internal biliary drainage if technically feasible. For patients who undergo exploration and are found to be candidates for a bypass procedure, both biliary and gastroduodenal bypass should be performed. Lymph node involvement and age of the patient were found to be significant variables in determining the candidates suitable for curative resection. A definite incidence of multicentricity was found in patients undergoing total pancreatectomy for ductal carcinoma of the pancreas; however, significant problems with diabetic management arose from this procedure. The primary site of the lesion as well as the intelligence and socioeconomic background of the patient should dictate the type of resection employed. Pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) is recommended for periampullary cancers other than pancreatic carcinoma, while total pancreatectomy may be appropriate in selected patients. However, there has been no evidence thus far in this early trial with total pancreatectomy that more complete resection of the pancreas leads to longer survival.     

无黄疸期壶腹周围癌的诊治体会

目的 探讨无黄疸期壶腹周围癌的临床特征及诊治体会.方法 回顾性分析27例无黄疸表现的壶腹周围癌的临床资料.结果 27例患者中23例有长期上腹部隐痛不适,7例合并上腹部饱胀,5例为胆道术后T管不能拔除,2例合并胆管炎.肿瘤指标未超过正常值三倍.MRCP提示胆胰管扩张的有21例,ERCP提示肿瘤有22例.结论 壶腹周围癌早期无特异性症状,胆胰管扩张是其一个影像学特征,ERCP可提高早期诊断率,胰十二指肠切除术是其首选术式.     

Preoperative cholangitis is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients after pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer

ObjectivesPreoperative biliary stenting is required for patients with obstructive jaundice from pancreatic adenocarcinoma who are receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. While in most patients this approach results in durable biliary drainage, some patients develop cholangitis during neoadjuvant treatment. Further, several studies have shown that preoperative cholangitis in patients with hepatobiliary malignancies can result in substantially unfavorable outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of preoperative cholangitis in patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy after completing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.MethodsParticipants: all adult patients (n = 449) diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma from January 1st, 2013 to March 31st, 2018 who pursued treatment at the Massachusetts General Hospital were screened. Of these 449 patients, 97 met final inclusion criteria of receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy with intent to pursue curative surgery. Data were collected via retrospective chart review including baseline characteristics, survival, episodes of preoperative cholangitis, and surgical complications.ResultsIn patients completing successful pancreaticoduodenectomy surgery, preoperative cholangitis is associated with increased mortality (HR 2.67, 95% CI:1.16–6.13). This finding is independent of postoperative outcomes or tumor recurrence rate. The presence of cholangitis did not impact completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (92% vs 85%, p = 0.5) or ability to proceed to surgery (76% vs 75%, p = 1.0). Preoperative cholangitis was not associated with postoperative morbidity (42.1% vs 45.1%, p = 1.0).ConclusionsOne episode of cholangitis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with increased mortality following successful pancreaticoduodenectomy, independent of immediate postoperative outcomes or tumor recurrence. Preoperative cholangitis does not affect ability to pursue neoadjuvant chemotherapy or complete successful surgery. Patients who develop cholangitis during the neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment phase may reflect a distinct phenotype of patients with PDAC with a complex and more challenging clinical course.     

腹腔镜下经皮胆总管穿刺置管引流五例报告

目的探讨腹腔镜下经皮胆总管穿刺置管引流治疗恶性肿瘤梗阻性黄疽临床应用价值。方法 5例不能手术切除恶性梗阻性黄疸病人,其中3例胰头癌,2例壶腹部癌,均采用腹腔镜下经皮胆总管穿刺置管引流术治疗。术后7~10d复查病人血生化指标。结果穿刺成功率为100%;术后7~10d总胆红素平均下降95.8μmol/L;未出现出血、胆汁性腹膜炎、胆漏等并发症。结论此方法创伤小,并发症少,操作简单,引流可靠有效,是晚期恶性肿瘤梗阻性黄疸较好的引流方法。     

10 years' experience treating pancreatic and periampullary cancer.

The records of 136 patients with periampullary and pancreatic carcinoma were reviewed and the information compared with other reported series. The clinical presentation with jaundice without other manifestations is associated with the greatest number of potentially curable tumors. The majority of patients were treated by palliative bypass or had exploration and biopsy only. A tissue diagnosis is not imperative before radical excision, providing a systematic preoperative and operative evaluation indicates tumor. Ligation of the pancreatic duct with external drainage results in low morbidity and mortality and good functional results. Radical pancreaticoduodenectomy done in 21 per cent of our patients offers the best palliation and the only hope for cure.     

Preoperative biliary drainage: Impact on intraoperative bile cultures and infectious morbidity and mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy

Whether it is necessary to perform biliary drainage for obstructive jaundice before performing pancreaticoduodenectomy remains controversial. Our aim was to determine the impact of preoperative biliary drainage on intraoperative bile cultures and postoperative infectious morbidity and mortality following pancreaticoduodenectomy. We retrospectively analyzed 161 consecutive patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy in whom intraoperative bile cultures were performed. Microorganisms were isolated from 58% of these intraoperative bile cultures, with 70% of them being polymicrobial. Postoperative morbidity was 47% and mortality was 5%. Postoperative infectious complications occurred in 29%, most commonly wound infection (14%) and intra-abdominal abscess (12%). Eighty-nine percent of patients with intra-abdominal abscess (P = 0.003) and 87% with wound infection (P = 0.003) had positive intraoperative bile cultures. Microorganisms in the bile were predictive of microorganisms in intraabdominal abscess (100%) and wound infection (69%). Multivariatc analysis of preoperative and intraoperative variables demonstrated that preoperative biliary drainage was associated with positive intraoperative bile cultures (P <0.001), postoperative infectious complications (P = 0.022), intra-abdominal abscess (P = 0.061), wound infection (P = 0.045), and death (P = 0.021). Preoperative biliary drainage increases the risk of positive intraoperative bile cultures, postoperative infectious morbidity, and death. Positive intraoperative bile cultures are associated with postoperative infectious complications and have similar microorganism profiles. These data suggest that preoperative biliary drainage should be avoided in candidates for pancreaticoduodenectomy. Presented at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association, New Orleans, La., May 19, 1998.     

Effect of Preoperative Biliary Decompression on Pancreaticoduodenectomy-Associated Morbidity in 300 Consecutive Patients

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between preoperative biliary drainage and the morbidity and mortality associated with pancreaticoduodenectomy. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Recent reports have suggested that preoperative biliary drainage increases the perioperative morbidity and mortality rates of pancreaticoduodenectomy. METHODS: Peri-operative morbidity and mortality were evaluated in 300 consecutive patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to evaluate the relationship between preoperative biliary decompression and the following end points: any complication, any major complication, infectious complications, intraabdominal abscess, pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leak, wound infection, and postoperative death. RESULTS: Preoperative prosthetic biliary drainage was performed in 172 patients (57%) (stent group), 35 patients (12%) underwent surgical biliary bypass performed during prereferral laparotomy, and the remaining 93 patients (31%) (no-stent group) did not undergo any form of preoperative biliary decompression. The overall surgical death rate was 1% (four patients); the number of deaths was too small for multivariate analysis. By multivariate logistic regression, no differences were found between the stent and no-stent groups in the incidence of all complications, major complications, infectious complications, intraabdominal abscess, or pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leak. Wound infections were more common in the stent group than the no-stent group. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative biliary decompression increases the risk for postoperative wound infections after pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, there was no increase in the risk of major postoperative complications or death associated with preoperative stent placement. Patients with extrahepatic biliary obstruction do not necessarily require immediate laparotomy to undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates; such patients can be treated by endoscopic biliary drainage without concern for increased major complications and death associated with subsequent pancreaticoduodenectomy.     

Improved Results for Resection of Periampullary Adenocarcinoma

Background: This study evaluates the indications for and effects of pancreaticoduodenectomy (102 patients) or total pancreatectomy (15 patients) with extensive lymph node dissection performed upon 117 patients for treatment of periampullary adenocarcinoma.Study Design: Presenting symptoms and postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were recorded. Cumulative survival rates were evaluated in relation to origin, size, and staging of tumor. Postoperative follow-up of clinical symptons was done after one year.Results: The postoperative mortality rate after Whipple’s operation was 8 percent (eight patients). The median survival period was 1.1 year and the overall five year survival rate was 15 percent (confidence limits, 5 to 25 percent). The five year survival rate for patients without tumor extension beyond the pancreas was 25 percent (confidence limits, 5 to 50 percent), and in patients with adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater, 34 percent (confidence limits, 3 to 65 percent). The median survival rate in patients with adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater was 3.3 years, which was significantly longer than in the other patients. Fifty-nine patients with distant spread could be divided into 14 patients with para-aortic lymph node metastases who had a significantly shorter survival period than 45 patients without para-aortic lymph node metastases (p=0.004). Most patients surviving more than one year were doing well, although 60 percent needed exocrine pancreatic substitution therapy. Conclusions: Resection of periampullary carcinoma provides a better palliation and survival rate than nonoperative biliary drainage or bypass operation. An improved preoperative verification of para-aortic metastases could restrict resection to patients with a prognostic five year survival rate of more than 25 percent and a postoperative mortality rate of less than 5 percent.     

Influence of preoperative biliary drainage on postoperative morbidity and mortality after pancreatoduodenectomy

Pancreatoduodenectomy is the only potentially curative treatment for peripapillary tumors. However, postoperative mortality remains as high as 5% and as many as 50% of patients have postoperative morbidity. Preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and placement of a biliary drainage stent aim to achieve a precise diagnosis, reduce jaundice and improve the results of surgery for biliary malignancies, but the effectiveness of preoperative biliary drainage in the prevention of postoperative infections is controversial. A retrospective analysis was performed in a series of 58 patients with periampullary tumors who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy and the relationship between preoperative biliary drainage and postoperative complications was examined. Biliary drainage (25.8%) before pancreatoduodenectomy was significantly associated with more frequent biliary and pancreatic anastomotic leakage (60% with drainage versus 20.9% without drainage), higher postoperative morbidity, and greater mean postoperative length of hospital stay (33.3 days with drainage versus 21.6 without drainage). No significant difference was found between the two groups in postoperative mortality at 30 days (13.7%). The effectiveness of biliary drainage before surgery in patients with pancreatic and peripancreatic lesions has not been well established, but we believe that this procedure should be avoided whenever possible in patients with potentially resectable pancreatic and peripancreatic lesions. Prospective randomized studies are required to clarify the indications for preoperative biliary drainage in these patients.     

Tumor seeding from percutaneous biliary catheters.

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary decompression has been used since 1973 as a preoperative surgical adjunct in patients with obstructive jaundice. Tumor seeding along the catheter tract is an unusual complication but it occurred recently in one of our patients who had preoperative biliary drainage for four days. Four months after his pancreaticoduodenectomy, a 2-cm nodule developed at the catheter exit site. This nodule was a metastatic focus of adenocarcinoma similar to his pancreatic tumor. He died 1 month later and at autopsy was found to have numerous metastases along the catheter tract. A review of the world literature found 17 other patients with this complication. Thirteen of the 18 total patients had catheters placed for palliation, while 5 patients underwent preoperative drainage before definitive procedures, and 4 of these patients had undergone "curative" resections. Nine of the 18 patients had biliary obstruction from cholangiocarcinoma, while seven patients had primary pancreatic carcinoma. Positioning of the catheter tip above the obstructing tumor and maintaining the catheter for only a short duration before operation (mean 8 days for resected patients, range 2 to 16 days) did not protect against catheter-related tumor seeding. Patients with suspected malignant obstruction of the biliary tract who may have resectable tumors should not undergo routine preoperative biliary decompression. If, on exploration, the tumor is found to be unresectable, then a palliative bypass may be performed.     

Neoadjuvant therapy and biliary decompression lower biliary and pancreatic juice vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with periampullary adenocarcinoma

Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by pancreatic cancer correlates with poor survival. The significance of VEGF in biliary and pancreatic secretions in periampullary cancers is unknown. Bile and pancreatic juice samples were collected from patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). All samples were frozen at -70 degrees C until subsequent analysis for VEGF concentration using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). Plasma VEGF levels in pancreatic cancer patients were <10 pg/mL. The biliary VEGF concentration for patients with malignancy was significantly elevated compared to benign disease (P = 0.05). There was no difference in pancreatic VEGF concentrations between benign and malignant disease. Cancer patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) had lower biliary and pancreatic VEGF concentrations than those who did not. Preoperative biliary drainage (BD) was associated with decreased VEGF concentrations in bile (3500 pg/mL vs 7740 pg/mL, P = 0.027). Patients undergoing both CRT and BD had diminished biliary and pancreatic VEGF concentrations compared to those who had neither. This was statistically significant for pancreatic VEGF concentrations (917 pg/mL vs 4723 pg/mL, P = 0.044). VEGF is highly concentrated in bile and pancreatic juice compared to plasma. Preoperative CRT and BD significantly reduce these levels in patients with periampullary cancers. Antiangiogenic therapy aimed at interrupting the VEGF pathway appears to be a logical target in periampullary cancer.