Diagnostic and therapeutic percutaneous gallbladder procedures

The authors report their experience with 24 patients who underwent a variety of percutaneous procedures involving the gallbladder. Twenty diagnostic and 13 therapeutic procedures were performed under sonographic, computed tomographic (CT), or fluoroscopic guidance; these procedures included biopsy of the gallbladder, diagnostic cholecystography, diagnostic aspiration of bile, gallstone dissolution and removal, cholecystostomy for drainage, and gallbladder abscess drainage. The indications for percutaneous cholecystostomy (performed in 11 patients) included relief of hydrops and empyema, gallstone dissolution, mechanical gallstone removal, and drainage for malignant obstruction. Each procedure was successful. There was one complicating episode of cholecystitis and four previously described episodes of vagal hypotension. Bile peritonitis did not occur in any of the patients. The authors discuss the various percutaneous gallbladder procedures and specific technical considerations in performing them.     

Acute cholecystitis: diagnostic accuracy of percutaneous aspiration of the gallbladder

Results of gallbladder bile aspiration and culture were correlated with presence or absence of acute cholecystitis in 36 patients to test the role of these procedures in hospitalized patients with sepsis. Diagnostic aspiration of the gallbladder was performed in 11 patients, and in the remaining patients a combination of percutaneous aspiration, percutaneous cholecystostomy, or cholecystectomy was used. Bile culture was not helpful in the prediction of acute cholecystitis, since results were not available for a minimum of 24-48 hours after aspiration. In addition, gram-stained smears and bile cultures suffered from low sensitivity (48% and 38%, respectively); consequently, a negative test does not allow the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis to be excluded. Bile aspiration of the gallbladder thus has a limited role in the diagnosis of this condition.     

Diagnostic yield of CT-guided percutaneous aspiration procedures in suspected spontaneous infectious diskitis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic yield of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous needle aspiration procedures in the setting of suspected spontaneous infectious diskitis and to assess the usefulness of concurrent cytologic examination as a supplement to microbiologic evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate 105 consecutive CT-guided percutaneous disk space aspiration procedures in 92 patients suspected of having spontaneous (non-postoperative) infectious diskitis. Our criterion standard for the presence of active infection was the identification of a pathogen either from the CT-guided aspiration specimen or from a surgical specimen. All cases had microbiologic analysis, 78 cases had cytopathologic analysis, and 31 cases had open surgery. RESULTS: Microbiologic analysis of the CT-guided percutaneous aspiration specimens was positive in 39 of 43 cases proved to have active infections, with four false-negative and no false-positive cases (sensitivity, 91%; specificity, 100%). The false-negative cases were all active fungal infections identified from surgical specimens. Adding cytopathologic analysis to microbiologic analysis improved sensitivity but reduced specificity. The most common pathogens were species of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Candida, and Mycobacterium. All 30 active bacterial infections were identified with the CT-guided procedures, but only five of nine fungal infections were identified. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous needle aspiration is an accurate method for identifying active bacterial disk space infections but is less reliable for identifying fungal infections.     

US-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of gallbladder masses

Ultrasonically (US) guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed in 88 patients who had gallbladder masses. All masses were less than 4.8 cm in diameter. A 22- or 23-gauge, Teflon-coated needle was placed into the mass with the transhepatic or transperitoneal route. By means of this technique, gallbladder malignancy was confirmed in 69 of the 78 cases of malignancy (88.5%). Ten of 10 benign lesions were properly categorized. One patient developed bile peritonitis following a single needle pass with the transperitoneal approach. Pain, a minor complication of the procedure, was noted in four cases. No instances of hemorrhage or vasovagal reactions occurred. From their experience in this large series, the authors conclude that US-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of gallbladder masses is a safe, reliable, and accurate technique for the diagnosis of malignancy.     

Long-term results of percutaneous aspiration embolectomy

Purpose To evaluate percutaneous aspiration embolectomy (PAE) as a therapeutic alternative to surgical embolectomy.Methods Eighty-five patients underwent 90 PAEs for embolic occlusions below the inguinal ligament between October 1987 and September 1992 in a prospective study with a 96% follow-up.Results The first PAE was clinically successful in 77 limbs (86%). In eight cases, major amputation was necessary. Eleven of 13 failures were observed in limbs with acutely threatening ischemia, but the success rate was independent of the time interval from embolism to the PAE procedure. The 30-day mortality rate was 3.5%. The cumulative primary patency rate at 1 and 4 years was 68% and 58%, respectively. The limb salvage rate was 88% after 1 year and 86% after 4 years. The patency rate was significantly better and the mortality was significantly lower in patients receiving long-term anticoagulation with coumadin.Conclusion PAE is highly effective in the treatment of embolic occlusions of the lower leg arteries and should be considered as an alternative to Fogarty balloon embolectomy.     

Diagnostic fine-needle puncture of the gallbladder with US guidance

From February 1988 to January 1990, 118 fine-needle diagnostic punctures of the gallbladder (DPG) were performed under continuous ultrasound (US) guidance on symptomatic patients with gallstones. The first attempt at gallbladder puncture and aspiration was successful in every patient with use of a 22-gauge needle and continuous US visualization of the needle tip. The aspirated volume varied between 3 and 88 mL (average +/- standard deviation, 25.0 mL +/- 15.3). Biliary analysis revealed an elevation of the cholesterol saturation index in patients with cholesterol gallstones (attenuation at computed tomographic examination of 50 HU or less) relative to that in patients with pigment stones (attenuation more than 50 HU) (1.3 +/- 0.2 vs 1.0 +/- 0.1, P less than .05). The nucleation time was prolonged in patients with pigment stones (19.3 days +/- 3.5 vs 1.8 days +/- 0.8 for patients with cholesterol stones, P less than .001). All patients remained hospitalized for 24 hours after DPG and were reexamined on an outpatient basis at 1 and 3 months thereafter. No complications were detected during either short-term observation or long-term follow-up. The authors conclude that DPG is a safe and valuable technique in the diagnostic work-up of gallstone patients to establish their suitability for nonoperative treatment.     

Complications in percutaneous aspiration biopsy of the pancreas]

This investigation comprised 105 patients in whom was performed percutaneous aspiration biopsy of the pancreas. The complications that could have developed during the biopsy, immediately after the biopsy and after the following 24 hours were monitored. All possible complications such as pain, bleeding, hypotension, pancreatitis, fistulization, infection and dispersion of malignant cells along the penetrating channel were described in details. The moderate pain usually followed the percutaneous aspiration biopsy of the pancreas, but there have been no other complications. Results of this investigation were compared to the results of other authors and analyzed.     

经皮经肝穿刺胆囊置管引流术的研究进展

【摘要】 急性胆囊炎是临床上常见的疾病。随着医学的进步、设备的升级和临床经验的积累，近年来，经皮经肝穿刺胆囊置管引流术（PTGBD）不断发展，为急性胆囊炎的微创介入治疗提供了新的选择。PTGBD为高风险、高龄急性胆囊炎患者提供了疗效好、安全性高的治疗手段。但介入治疗的适应证和禁忌证、PTGBD的优点和缺点、PTGBD的术前准备、引导方式和操作方法、穿刺路径的选择、其疗效和安全性等方面仍然存在争议。急性胆囊炎的治疗方式已经由传统创伤大的腹腔镜下胆囊外科切除向PTGBD等微创的介入治疗转变。相关指南将急性胆囊炎分为轻、中、重3型，对于中重度的急性胆囊炎推荐先行PTGBD。本文介绍了急性胆囊炎的介入诊疗进展，为临床工作提供参考。     

Delayed gallbladder rupture following percutaneous cholecystostomy.

Percutaneous cholecystostomy has become an accepted therapeutic alternative for high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. However, some authors have cautioned that patients with gallbladder wall necrosis and gangrene may not be effectively treated by means of percutaneous drainage alone. A case is reported in which gallbladder wall necrosis progressed following technically successful percutaneous drainage. Spontaneous gallbladder rupture ensued, necessitating emergent cholecystectomy. Cholecystography 2 weeks following tube placement and 1 week prior to rupture showed a markedly abnormal, irregular gallbladder lumen. The authors suggest that follow-up cholecystography may be a useful tool for evaluating patient response to percutaneous cholecystostomy and for determining subsequent patient management.     

Diagnostic imaging of carcinomas of the gallbladder and the bile ducts

Early diagnosis and accurate staging of carcinomas of the gallbladder and the bile ducts are helpful in improving the prognosis. Ultrasonography (US), a useful initial modality when exploring the background of jaundice or non-specific gastrointestinal complaints, sensitively reveals bile duct obstruction in particular. In unclear cases, or if US suggests a resectable biliary malignancy, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) and / or traditional cholangiography often provide additional information, and imaging-guided fine-needle biopsy or an endoscopic brush sample may verify the malignant nature of the tumor. Complementary modalities are usually needed for accurate staging, and traditional cholangiography is often performed for therapeutic purposes as well. Comparative studies of MRI with MRC and multidetector CT in biliary cancers would be welcome.     

Adrenal cysts: imaging and percutaneous aspiration

Six patients with primary adrenal cysts were encountered during a period of 3 years. Multiple imaging modalities were used to characterize these lesions, including magnetic resonance imaging in one case. Percutaneous aspiration was performed on four of the six cysts - in one case, in the operating room prior to excision of the cyst. Cholesterol was detected in four cysts and cortisol in one cyst. Cytologic findings from aspiration biopsy were benign in all five cases. Two cysts were removed, one of them after reaccumulation of the fluid after needle aspiration. The findings in this small series of adrenal cysts suggest that in certain cases, complete cyst aspiration, rather than surgical excision, may be carried out initially for diagnosis and management of indeterminate suprarenal cystic lesions and symptomatic cysts of the adrenal gland.     

Renal cyst wall thickening following percutaneous aspiration

Computed tomography (CT) is an accurate and efficient means for evaluating and characterizing renal masses. Using established criteria, benign cortical cysts may be accurately differentiated from complex cysts or solid renal lesions. We report a case of cyst wall thickening simulating a cystic tumor that occurred after percutaneous aspiration of a simple renal cyst.     

Adventitial cyst of the popliteal artery: CT-guided percutaneous aspiration

Adventitial cystic disease of the popliteal artery is a rare condition of uncertain etiology in which a mucinous cyst forms in the wall of the popliteal artery, obstructing the lumen and producing symptoms of intermittent claudication. We report a case in which percutaneous cyst puncture guided by CT resulted in emptying of the cyst contents, with restoration of luminal patency and a normal pulse.