Percutaneous Biliary Interventions: Inside and Outside the Box: Percutaneous Management of Benign Biliary Strictures

Benign biliary strictures are often due to a variety of etiologies, most of which are iatrogenic. Clinical presentation can vary from asymptomatic disease with elevated liver enzymes to obstructive jaundice and recurrent cholangitis. Diagnostic imaging methods, such as ultrasound, multidetector computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (cholangiopancreatography), are used to identify stricture location, extent, and possible source of biliary obstruction. The management of benign biliary strictures requires a multidisciplinary team approach and include endoscopic, percutaneous, and surgical interventions. Percutaneous biliary interventions provide an alternative diagnostic and therapeutic approach, especially in patients who are not amenable to endoscopic evaluation. This review provides an overview of benign biliary strictures and percutaneous management by interventional radiologists. Diagnostic evaluation with percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and treatment options, including biliary drainage, balloon dilation, retrievable/biodegradable stents, and other innovative minimally invasive options, are discussed.     

Imaging of the normal and abnormal pancreaticobiliary system with single-shot MR cholangiopancreatography: a pictorial review

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a rapidly evolving non-invasive imaging modality that produces images of the pancreatic duct and biliary tree without the need for intravenous or oral contrast. The images are equivalent to those from endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but the non-invasive acquisition avoids the morbidity and mortality associated with diagnostic ERCP. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is indicated in patients who require only a diagnostic ERCP, who fail an ERCP or who are unable to undergo ERCP due to altered post-surgical anatomy. Other evolving indications include triaging of patients with obstructive jaundice into percutaneous or endoscopic management drainage pathways depending on the site, length and nature of the duct obstruction, thereby potentially decreasing the number of failed or unsuccessful ERCP. Pre-operative identification of anomalous biliary anatomy and choledocholithiasis prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy promise to modify the pre-operative and operative management of the patient in order to minimize the risk of duct injury and unnecessary intra-operative dissection and cholangiography. The advantages of the technique include its non-invasiveness, the absence of contrast administration, its relative operator independence and the ability to evaluate both sides of an obstructed duct, thereby accurately evaluating stricture morphology and length. The disadvantages of MRCP compared to ERCP include its lack of an immediate therapeutic solution to duct obstruction, procedural cost, unit availability and the inability to evaluate patients with pacemakers or ferromagnetic implants.     

Percutaneous Biliary Interventions: Inside and Outside the Box: Advancements in Endoscopic Biliary Interventions by Gastroenterology

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an endoscopic technique in which a specialized side-viewing endoscope is guided into the duodenum, allowing for instruments to access the biliary and pancreatic ducts. ERCP was initially developed as a diagnostic tool as computed tomography was in its infancy during that time. ERCP has evolved since its inception in the 1960s to becoming not only a valuable diagnostic resource but now an effective therapeutic intervention in the treatment of various biliary disorders. The most common biliary interventions performed by ERCP include the management of biliary obstructions for benign and malignant indications. Additionally, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been increasingly utilized in diagnosing and intervening on pancreaticobiliary lesion. This article will discuss the various methods currently available for various endoscopic biliary interventions and future interventional techniques. For the management of biliary strictures, EUS can be utilized with fine need aspiration, while ERCP can be used for the placement of various stents and diagnostic modalities. Another example is radiofrequency ablation, which can be used for the treatment of hilar strictures. Achieving bile duct access can be challenging in patients with complicated clinical scenarios; other techniques that can be used for bile duct access include EUS-guided rendezvous approach, transluminal approach, Choleodochoduodenostomy, and hepatogastrostomy, along with gaining access in complicated anatomy such as in patients with Rou-en-Y anatomy. Another useful endoscopic tool is nonsurgical drainage of the gallbladder, which can be a suitable option when patients are not optimal surgical candidates. There has also been an increase in outpatient utilization of ERCP, which was previously seen as a predominantly inpatient procedure in the past. Possible future evolutions of biliary interventions include robotic manipulation of a duodenoscope and direct infusion of chemotherapeutic or immunomodulatory agents into the pancreaticobiliary tree. These advancements will depend on parallel advancements in other imaging and laboratory as well as breakthrough technology or techniques by other disciplines including interventional radiology and minimally invasive surgery.     

Management of Benign Biliary Strictures

Benign biliary strictures are most commonly a consequence of injury at laparoscopic cholecystectomy or fibrosis after biliary-enteric anastomosis. These strictures are notoriously difficult to treat and traditionally are managed by resection and fashioning of a choledocho- or hepato-jejunostomy. Promising results are being achieved with newer minimally invasive techniques using endoscopic or percutaneous dilatation and/or stenting and these are likely to play an increasing role in the management. Even low-grade biliary obstruction carries the risks of stone formation, ascending cholangitis and hepatic cirrhosis and it is important to identify and treat this group of patients. There is currently no consensus on which patient should have what type of procedure, and the full range of techniques may not be available in all hospitals. Careful assessment of the risks and likely benefits have to be made on an individual basis. This article reviews the current literature and discusses the options available. The techniques of endoscopic and percutaneous dilatation and stenting are described with evaluation of the likely success and complication rates and compared to the gold standard of biliary-enteric anastomosis.     

Staging of Klatskin tumours (hilar cholangiocarcinomas): comparison of MR cholangiography, MR imaging, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography

The aim of the study was to compare prospectively magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) in the diagnosis and staging of Klatskin tumours of the biliary tree (hilar cholangiocarcinomas). Forty-six patients with suspected Klatskin tumours of the biliary tract underwent MRI and heavily T2-weighted, non-breathhold, respiratory-triggered fast spin-echo MRC. Forty-two patients underwent ERC within 24 h; in four patients, ERC was not feasible, and percutaneous trans-hepatic cholangiography (PTC) was carried out instead. Two independent investigators evaluated imaging results for the presence of tumour, bile duct dilatation, and stenosis. Clinical and histopathological correlation revealed Klatskin tumours in 33 patients. MRI revealed a slightly hyperintense signal of infiltrated bile ducts in T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequences. The malignant lesion was regularly visualized as a hypointense area in T1-weighted gradient-echo sequences with substantial contrast enhancement along the involved bile duct walls. MRC revealed the location and extension of the tumour in 31 of 33 cases correctly (sensitivity 94%, specificity 100%, diagnostic accuracy 95%). In 27 of 31 cases, ERC enabled accurate staging and diagnosis of Klatskin tumours with a sensitivity of 87%. ERC and PTC combined yielded a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 97%. Tumours were grouped according to the Bismuth classification, with MRC allowing correct identification of type I tumour in seven patients, type II tumour in four patients, type III tumour in 12 patients, and type IV tumour in ten patients. MRC provided superior visualization of completely obstructed peripheral systems. MRC in combination with MRI is a reliable non-invasive diagnostic method for the pre-therapeutic staging of Klatskin tumours.     

Percutaneous Biliary Interventions: Inside and Outside the Box: Percutaneous Biliary Endoscopy

Biliary endoscopy is underutilized by interventional radiologists and has the potential to become an effective adjunctive tool to help both diagnose and treat a variety of biliary pathology. This is particularly true in cases where endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography fails or is not feasible due to surgically altered anatomy. Both preoperative clinical and technical procedural factors must be taken into consideration prior to intervention. In this article, clinical evaluation, perioperative management, and procedural techniques for percutaneous biliary endoscopy are reviewed.     

Interventional radiology of the biliary tract. Transcholecystic intervention

Diagnostic and therapeutic biliary intervention by percutaneous access to the gallbladder is an important new area in interventional radiology. The anatomy of the gallbladder, biliary tree, and surrounding viscera is reviewed in this article as a preliminary to discussion of the diagnostic techniques of aspiration, cholangiography, biopsy, and the therapeutic techniques of gallbladder drainage and cholelithotomy. Recently there has been a bewildering proliferation of procedures aimed at removal, fragmentation, and dissolution of gallbladder stones. Several of these are discussed in this article. Removal of common bile duct stones by percutaneous cholecystostomy also is discussed.     

Percutaneous Biliary Interventions: Inside and Outside the Box: Role of Interventional Radiology in the Management of Acute Cholangitis

Acute cholangitis presents with a wide severity spectrum and can rapidly deteriorate from local infection to multiorgan failure and fatal sepsis. The pathophysiology, diagnosis, and general management principles will be discussed in this review article. The focus of this article will be on the role of biliary drainage performed by interventional radiology to manage acute cholangitis. There are specific scenarios where percutaneous drainage should be preferred over endoscopic drainage. Percutaneous transhepatic and transjejunal biliary drainage are both options available to interventional radiology. Additionally, interventional radiology is now able to manage these patients beyond providing acute biliary drainage including cholangioplasty, stenting, and percutaneous cholangioscopy/biopsy.     

不可切除胆管癌PDT治疗的进展

胆管癌是一种少见的原发性胆道恶性肿瘤,预后较差,根治性切除仅适用于少部份早期确诊的患者,大部份失去手术机会的患者采取胆道引流的姑息治疗方式治疗。胆道缓解引流是一种采用经皮或内镜插入的内镜置管术,可减轻患者骚痒、胆管炎和疼痛等症状,提高患者生活质量,但是仅有少量文献报道胆道缓解引流可提高胆管癌患者的生存时间。光动力疗法（photodynamic therapy,PDT）是一种相对新的、局部的、微创的姑息治疗方法,PDT是通过能聚集在增生组织（或肿瘤）中的光敏剂分子,是治疗不可手术切除胆管癌的标准的辅助治疗方式。     

HASTE MRCP and MRI findings in alveolar echinococcosis of the liver

Alveolar echinococcosis is a rare mass-producing inflammatory process of the liver. Experience with MRI, and particularly magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), demonstrates that features of this disease are limited. The HASTE (half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo) MRCP and MRI findings of alveolar echinococcosis of the liver are presented in this report. HASTE MRCP was used to define the biliary system and the biliary system-mass relationship. It was found that results were comparable with those of invasive techniques such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography.     

MRCP与ERCP、PTC诊断胆道梗阻性疾病的对比研究

目的 :探讨磁共振胰胆管成像 (MRCP)加梗阻部位薄层扫描或增强扫描、内镜逆行胰胆管造影 (ERCP)、经皮肝穿刺胆道造影 (PTC)对胆道梗阻的诊断价值。材料和方法 :回顾性分析 42例临床怀疑胆道梗阻患者的MRCP资料 (包括薄层或增强扫描 ) ,并与 18例ERCP、9例PTC比较 ,所有病例均经手术病理证实。结果 :MRCP加梗阻部位薄层扫描或增强扫描对胆管梗阻诊断准确率为 90 .5 % ,ERCP为 88.9% ,PTC为 88.9%。结论 :MRCP加梗阻部位薄层扫描或增强扫描对胆管梗阻具有重要诊断价值。     

Percutaneous cholecystostomy: diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy

Percutaneous cholecystostomy was performed in 32 patients for treatment of suspected cholecystitis (16 patients), decompression of biliary obstruction (six patients), or performance of diagnostic cholangiography (ten patients). The gallbladder was successfully catheterized in 32 of 32 patients (100%), and therapeutic or diagnostic benefit was achieved in 29 of 32 patients (91%). There were no major complications and no procedure-related deaths. There were four minor complications. In the 14 patients with severe cholecystitis there was substantial clinical improvement in 13. Five patients underwent catheter withdrawal after stabilization or long-term drainage. In biliary obstruction, hyperbilirubinemia was successfully treated with percutaneous cholecystostomy in five of six patients, and associated cholangitis was successfully treated in four of four. Ten patients underwent transcholecystic cholangiography; diagnostic visualization was achieved in all, including seven who underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy-assisted transhepatic biliary drainage. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a safe and effective procedure in diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract problems.     

Interval Biliary Stent Placement Via Percutaneous Ultrasound Guided Cholecystostomy: Another Approach to Palliative Treatment in Malignant Biliary Tract Obstruction

Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a minimally invasive procedure for providing gallbladder decompression, often in critically ill patients. It can be used in malignant biliary obstruction following failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography when the intrahepatic ducts are not dilated or when stent insertion is not possible via the bile ducts. In properly selected patients, percutaneous cholecystostomy in obstructive jaundice is a simple, safe, and rapid option for biliary decompression, thus avoiding the morbidity and mortality involved with percutaneous transhepatic biliary stenting. Subsequent use of a percutaneous cholecystostomy for definitive biliary stent placement is an attractive concept and leaves patients with no external drain. To the best of our knowledge, it has only been described on three previous occasions in the published literature, on each occasion forced by surgical or technical considerations. Traditionally, anatomic/technical considerations and the risk of bile leak have precluded such an approach, but improvements in catheter design and manufacture may now make it more feasible. We report a case of successful interval metal stent placement via percutaneous cholecystostomy which was preplanned and achieved excellent palliation for the patient. The pros and cons of the procedure and approach are discussed.     

Kontrastverstärkte MR-Cholangiographie mit Gadolinium-EOB-DTPA

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography (MRCP) with heavily T2-weighted RARE and HASTE sequences has become an important imaging modality for the morphologic evaluation of intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. However, for the diagnosis of functional biliary disorders, cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) and endoscopic manometry, two invasive techniques with considerable morbidity and mortality, remain the standard. Biliary scintigraphy, secretin-stimulated MRCP, and secretin-stimulated endoscopic ultrasound have not proven to be sufficient to replace these techniques as they lack diagnostic accuracy and correlate poorly with manometry results. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography (CE-MRC) uses hepatocyte-selective contrast agents that are eliminated by the biliary system. Therefore, these substances can serve as biliary contrast agents in T1-weighted MR imaging. This method makes a noninvasive functional evaluation of the hepatobiliary system possible. In the present article, our preliminary experience with Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRC is summarized and potential clinical applications of this method are discussed. Additionally, the article reviews publications evaluating a possible benefit of CE-MRC with other hepatobiliary contrast agents such as mangafodipir trisodium.     

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a non-invasive imaging method for examining the biliary and pancreatic ducts. The technique uses heavily T2-weighted imaging, which produces high signal from bile and other static fluids by virtue of their long T2 time, while suppressing background signal. Fast scanning techniques, particularly half-Fourier fast spin-echo techniques, are continuing to improve image resolution and allow scans within short breath-holds, reducing the effects of respiratory movement. The MRCP method has reached a level of resolution and reliability where it may well largely replace diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the near future. A review of MRCP techniques and imaging findings is presented with emphasis on half-Fourier imaging, with reference to potential clinical indications and limitations. Use of MRCP shows a high sensitivity and specificity for detection of biliary dilatation, calculi, strictures and anatomical variants. Experience with MR imaging of the pancreatic duct is less extensively described in the literature, but pancreatic duct dilatation, calculi and anatomy can now be reliably detected. However, as experience with MRCP increases, some sources of errors and limitations are becoming apparent, with image artefacts, and gas, blood or sludge within ducts potentially mimicking stones or strictures.     

Interventional chest radiology

The authors review the various interventional radiology techniques currently used in 1996 by a Medico-Radio-Surgical team. CT guided needle biopsy has an important place in the diagnostic approach to parenchymal as well as mediastinal tumours. But CT guidance allows also routine drainage of thoracic collections and sometimes thoracic sympatholysis. Superior vena cava and tracheobronchial stenting are palliative treatments as the percutaneous aspergilloma treatment. Embolization of bronchial and thoracic systemic arteries are also palliative buot effective therapeutic procedures as well as vasoocclusion for arterio-venous fistulae.     

Fine caliber cholangioscopy

The miniaturized diameters of endoscopes (miniendoscopes) allow percutaneous access for endoscopic visualization of the extrahepatic and intrahepatic biliary system. Practical aspects of different miniendoscopes in an experimental model are described. Clinically, fine caliber cholangioscopy is helpful in detection of retained biliary stones. Nevertheless, discrimination of benign and malignant stenosis remains difficult, and simultaneous intervention under endoscopic guidance is compromised by the low steerability of the instruments.     

Magnetic resonance in obstructive jaundice

Twelve cases of obstructive jaundice in whom ultrasound failed to demonstrate the site and/or the cause of obstruction of the biliary tract were examined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), correctly diagnosing the site and cause of obstruction in 10 of 12 surgically proven cases. In one case of cholangiocarcinoma, the site of obstruction was well shown on MR but a definite cause could not be ascertained. In another patient who developed intermittent jaundice following surgery for choledochal cyst, MR demonstrated a solitary stone in the common hepatic duct. Surgical confirmation could not be achieved as the patient was lost to follow up. There were 6 cases of choledocholithiasis, 3 cases of gall bladder carcinoma and one case each of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. It is believed that MRI will provide obstructive jaundice and will be able to minimize the use of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in view of its ability to perform multiplanar imaging in multiple sequences.     

MRI of gynaecological solid masses

Differential diagnosis of gynaecological masses is sometimes difficult, as there are so many histological types. However, magnetic resonance characteristics of some gynaecological tumours have been reported past several years. On the basis of the recent literature, we have made a decision tree for differential diagnosis of solid gynaecological tumours, in which there are some important divergences. Bilateral disease and invasive growth are malignant signs in most cases. Specific findings for different tumour types include: fibrovascular septa in dysgerminomas; preserving ovarian follicles in round cell tumours; pseudolobular patterns in young patients in sclerosing stromal tumours; and extremely hypointense masses on T2WI in Brenner tumours. Distinguishing between sex-cord stromal tumours, Brenner tumours and metastatic tumours may be hard, however, especially in middle age, because they all tend to show well-demarcated, hypointense masses on T2WI. Disproportionately clear zonal anatomy of the uterus, enlarged uterus and thickened endometrium, which are indirect findings of oestrogen-producing tumours, are useful diagnostic findings in children and postmenopausals.