Pleural Dissemination as a Complication of Preoperative Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage for Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: Report of a Case

One potential risk of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is tumor seeding along the catheter tract. A 57-year-old woman with obstructive jaundice due to hilar cholangiocarcinoma underwent an extended left hepatic lobectomy, a regional lymph node dissection, and a right hepaticojejunostomy 2 weeks after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Multiple right pleural masses were found on a chest radiogram 14 months after the operation. No recurrent lesions were detected in the abdominal cavity. A right panpleuropneumonectomy was performed; however, the patient died of respiratory failure due to tumor recurrence 9 months after the second operation. Preoperative percutaneous transhepatich biliary drainage was considered to have resulted in pleural implantation. Received: March 17, 2000 / Accepted: July 25, 2000     

Preoperative management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

From both the therapeutic and diagnostic viewpoints, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is crucial for the preoperative management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The direct anterior approach under fluoroscopic guidance is the most advantageous form of PTBD. Despite some advantages, endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage is contraindicated for preoperative biliary decompression. Pertinent multiple catheterizations using PTBD result in an accurate diagnosis of cancer extent, and produce effective relief of jaundice, as well as preventing the development of cholangitis. This, in turn, permits a rational surgical strategy and improved postoperative recovery. Preoperative staging of hilar cholangiocarcinoma is achieved by tube cholangiography through the PTBD catheter and by percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy. Angiography and percutaneous transhepatic portography are also recommended to diagneous extramural invasion of cancer. Prevention of posthepatectomy liver failure is the greatest challenge in the treatment of this disease. A multifactorial approach that combines several elements may provide sufficient data for determing the safe limits of surgery and for predicting posthepatectomy liver failure. Preoperative percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization (PTPE) is an effective method for preventing this intractable complication.     

Staging laparoscopy in patients with extrahepatic biliary carcinoma. Analysis of 100 patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefit of staging laparoscopy in patients with gallbladder cancer and hilar cholangiocarcinoma. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: In patients with extrahepatic biliary carcinoma, unresectable disease is often found at the time of exploration despite extensive preoperative evaluation, thus resulting in unnecessary laparotomy. METHODS: From October 1997 to May 2001, 100 patients with potentially resectable gallbladder cancer (n = 44) and hilar cholangiocarcinoma (n = 56) were prospectively evaluated. All patients underwent staging laparoscopy followed by laparotomy if the tumor appeared resectable. Surgical findings, resectability rate, length of stay, and operative time were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients underwent multiple preoperative imaging tests, including computed tomography scan, ultrasound, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and direct cholangiography. Laparoscopy identified unresectable disease in 35 of 100 patients. In the 65 patients undergoing open exploration, 34 were found to have unresectable disease. Therefore, the overall accuracy for detecting unresectable disease was 51%. There was no difference in the accuracy of laparoscopy between patients with gallbladder cancer and hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Laparoscopy detected the majority of patients with peritoneal or liver metastases but failed to detect all locally advanced tumors. In patients undergoing biopsy only, laparoscopic identification of unresectable disease significantly reduced operative time and length of stay compared with patients undergoing laparotomy. The yield of laparoscopy was 48% in patients with gallbladder cancer (56% in those who did not undergo previous cholecystectomy), but only 25% in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. However, in patients with locally advanced but potentially resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma, the yield of laparoscopy was greater, 36% (12/33, T2/T3 tumors) versus 9% (2/23, T1 tumors). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy identifies the majority of patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma or gallbladder carcinoma, thereby reducing both the incidence of unnecessary laparotomy and the length of stay. The yield of laparoscopy is lower for hilar cholangiocarcinoma but can be improved by targeting patients at higher risk of occult unresectable disease. All patients with potentially resectable primary gallbladder cancer and patients with T2/T3 hilar cholangiocarcinoma should undergo staging laparoscopy before surgical exploration.     

可切除肝门部胆管癌术前胆道引流方式的选择

目的比较可切除肝门部胆管癌术前经皮肝穿刺胆道引流(PTBD)及经逆行胰胆管造影(ERCP)内支架引流两种减黄方式的治疗效果,探讨最佳的术前引流方式。方法对2004年1月—2011年1月期间58例可切除的肝门部胆管癌术前行PTBD(35例)或ERCP(23例)减黄的患者的临床资料进行比较分析,比较两组的操作成功率、并发症发生率、胆道感染发生率以及引流效果。结果两组患者术前一般资料无统计学差异,PTBD组的操作成功率达100%,而ERCP组为87%(P=0.057);PTBD组2例出现胆道出血;而ERCP组出现1例十二指肠穿孔,2例十二指肠乳头出血,4例急性胰腺炎。ERCP组胆道感染的发生率高于PTBD组(43%vs.17%,P=0.028);两组均能于开腹手术前达到有效减黄,但ERCP组需时长于PTBD组(7周vs.4.5周,P=0.035),且更换引流物次数更多(2.5次vs.1.2次,P=0.029)。ERCP组8例(34.8%)需转为PTBD处理,其胆道感染的发生率为75.0%,平均需要进行4次更换引流物,术前平均引流时间为8周。PTBD组2例(5.7%)因胆汁引流量大(超过2000mL/d)转为ERCP...     

肝门胆管癌两种姑息性治疗方法并发症及适应证的比较

目的:比较经内镜逆行胆道支架置入术与经皮经肝穿刺胆道支架置入术对肝门胆管癌的近期治疗效果及适应证。方法:回顾性将肝门胆管癌患者60例按不同治疗方法分为经皮经肝穿刺胆道支架置入术组(35例)及经内镜逆行胆道支架置入术组(25例),比较经不同治疗方法后肝门胆管癌患者近期肝功能的恢复、相关并发症发生率及不同类型肝门胆管癌行不同治疗方法的成功率。结果:经内镜逆行胆道支架置入术同经皮经肝穿刺胆道支架置入术成功率分为80%和92%,在术后胆道出血及胰腺炎并发症方面,两种治疗方法存在明显差异(P0.05);Ⅳ型肝门胆管癌治疗成功率经皮经肝穿刺胆道支架置入术存在明显优势(P0.05);经内镜胆道支架置入术与经皮经肝穿刺胆道支架置入术在支架术后胰腺炎方面未见明显差异(P0.05)。两组治疗在减黄,肝功能恢复方面未见明显差异。结论:在并发症方面两种治疗方法各有优缺点,在Ⅳ型肝门胆管癌治疗中以经皮经肝穿刺胆道支架置入术为佳,Ⅰ型及Ⅱ型肝门胆管癌以内镜逆行胆道支架置入术治疗为佳,Ⅲ型肝门胆管癌根据具体情况而定。     

Staging laparoscopy for hilar cholangiocarcinoma in 100 patients

Purpose

Accurate preoperative radiological staging of hilar cholangiocarcinoma remains difficult, and a number of patients are found to have irresectable advanced tumours or occult metastases at exploration. Staging laparoscopy can improve the detection of irresectable disease, avoiding unnecessary laparotomy. This study examines the role of staging laparoscopy in hilar cholangiocarcinoma, with a focus on yield over different time periods and identification of preoperative factors increasing the risk of irresectable disease.

Methods

Retrospective case note review of all patients undergoing staging laparoscopy for radiologically resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma, identified from the hepatobiliary multidisciplinary team database, was performed.

Results

One hundred consecutive patients underwent staging laparoscopy between 1998 and 2011. Of these, 34 patients were found to be irresectable due to metastatic disease, and 11, due to extensive local disease. Fifty patients proceeded to exploratory laparotomy following staging laparoscopy, and 36 % (18/50) of whom were found to have irresectable disease: 12 patients due to advanced local disease and 6 patients due to metastases. The overall yield of laparoscopy was 45 %, and the accuracy was 71 %. There was no significant difference in age, preoperative bilirubin, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, Ca19-9 levels or T stage between patients with resectable disease and with irresectable disease on laparoscopy. There was also no change in the yield of laparoscopy over time, despite advances in radiological imaging.

Conclusion

In this series, staging laparoscopy avoided unnecessary laparotomy in 45 % of patients with radiologically resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. No factor was able to predict positive yield, and therefore, all patients with potentially resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma should undergo staging laparoscopy.     

TN01HILAR CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA: RADIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS,STAGING AND PRE‐OPERATIVE INTERVENTION

Hilar intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (I‐CAC) accounts for 25% of CAC. Complete surgical resection offers the best possibility of cure but this demands accurate pre‐operative assessment and staging as well as appropriate ancilllary procedures such as selective portal vein embolisation and targeted biliary drainage. CT (MD‐CT) and MRI are the primary imaging modalities used for the assessment of hilar I‐CAC but despite advances in imaging technology, overall accuracy for assessing resectability of hilar I‐CAC is approximately 60–75% for modalities. Hilar I‐CAC may present as thickening of the biliary wall with infltrative margins or (less commonly) a polypoid intra‐ductal or exophyic mass. The mass typically demonstrates delayed enhancement after contrast as a result of the sclerosis and fibrosis of surrounding tissues frequently seen in CAC. The extent of intraductal tumour spread is more accurately demonstrated with MRI/MRCP but the high spatial resolution of MD‐CT allows possibly more accurate definition of vascular invasion and small lymph metastases. These structures may also be evaluated with pre‐operative laparoscopy. CAC is FDG avid and CT‐PET has a role in detecting nodal and peritoneal metastases. Selective pre‐operative percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) of the obstructed hepatic segments in the future hepatic remnant has been shown to improve post‐operative outcomes. Pre‐operative selective portal vein embolisation has been used to promote hypertrophy in patients with marginal remnant volumes. The degree of compensatory hypertrophy is an important predictor of outcome and is dependant on technical procedural success and underlying liver disease.     

Cytology of peritoneal lavage performed during staging laparoscopy for gastrointestinal malignancies: is it useful?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential benefit of cytology of the peritoneal lavage obtained during diagnostic laparoscopy for staging gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Peritoneal lavage is a simple procedure that can be performed during laparotomy for GI tumors. Tumor cells in the lavage fluid are thought to indicate intraperitoneal tumor seeding and to have a negative effect on survival. For this reason, peritoneal lavage is frequently added to diagnostic laparoscopy for staging GI malignancies. METHODS: Patients who underwent peritoneal lavage during laparoscopic staging for GI malignancies between June 1992 and September 1997 were included. Lavage fluids were stained using Giemsa and Papanicolaou methods. Cytology results were correlated with the presence of metastases and tumor ingrowth found during laparoscopy and with survival. RESULTS: Cytology of peritoneal lavage was performed in 449 patients. Tumor cells were found in 28 patients (6%): 8/87 with an esophageal tumor, 2/32 with liver metastases, 11/72 with a proximal bile duct tumor, 7/236 with a periampullary tumor, and none in 7 and 15 patients with a primary liver tumor or pancreatic body or tail tumor, respectively. In 19 of the 28 patients (68%) in whom tumor cells were found, metastatic disease was detected during laparoscopy, and 3 of the 28 patients had a false-positive (n = 1) or a misleading positive (n = 2) lavage result. Therefore, lavage was beneficial in only 6/449 patients (1.3%); in these patients, the lavage result changed the assessment of tumor stage and adequately predicted irresectable disease. Univariate analysis showed a significant survival difference between patients in whom lavage detected tumor cells and those in whom it did not, but multivariate analysis revealed that these survival differences were caused by metastatic or ingrowing disease. CONCLUSION: Cytology of peritoneal lavage with conventional staining should no longer be performed during laparoscopic staging of GI malignancies because it provides an additional benefit in only 1.3% of patients and has limited prognostic value for survival in this group of patients.     

The incremental benefit of two quadrant lavage for peritoneal cytology at staging laparoscopy for oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma

Background

Patients with positive peritoneal cytology from oesophagogastric cancer have a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to compare lavage cytology from the pelvis alone with the pelvis and subphrenic areas at staging laparoscopy in patients with potentially resectable oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma.

Methods

Between November 2006 and November 2010, all patients with operable oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma on spiral CT considered fit for surgical resection underwent staging laparoscopy. Subphrenic and pelvic peritoneal lavage for cytology was performed followed by laparoscopic biopsy of any visible peritoneal disease. Patients were divided into groups: macroscopic peritoneal metastases (P+), no macroscopic peritoneal disease with negative cytology (P?C?), no macroscopic peritoneal disease with positive pelvic cytology (P?PC+), no macroscopic peritoneal disease with positive subphrenic cytology (P?SC+), or both (P?PSC+).

Results

A total of 316 staging laparoscopy procedures were performed; 245 patients (78 %) were P?C?, 28 (9 %) were P+, and 43 (14 %) were P?C+, of whom 29 (9 %) were P?PSC+, 10 (3 %) were P?SC+, and 4 (1 %) were P?PC+. Pelvic cytology alone had 76.7 % sensitivity for peritoneal disease, and subphrenic cytology alone had 90.7 % sensitivity.

Conclusions

Peritoneal lavage for cytology at staging laparoscopy has an incremental benefit for staging oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma in the absence of macroscopic metastatic disease. Subphrenic washings have the highest yield of positive results. Performing isolated pelvic washings for cytology will understage 23.3 % of patients with microscopic peritoneal disease. The routine use of subphrenic in combination with pelvic lavage for cytology at staging laparoscopy in patients with oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma has an incremental benefit in detecting cytology-positive disease over either pelvic or subphrenic cytology alone.     

Pleural dissemination of cholangiocarcinoma caused by percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage during the management of resectable cholangiocarcinoma

BackgroundOnly 3 case reports have addressed pleural dissemination in association with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. The aim of this study was to investigate recurrence after resection of cholangiocarcinoma after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and to clarify the incidence of and the factors responsible for pleural dissemination.MethodsBetween 2001 and 2015, we reviewed retrospectively all consecutive patients who underwent resection for perihilar or distal cholangiocarcinoma after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for recurrence, including pleural dissemination.ResultsDuring the study period, all consecutive patients underwent resection of cholangiocarcinoma after management with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Of these, 100 patients (32.1%) underwent left-sided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage alone, and 212 (67.9%) underwent right-sided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage with or without left-sided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Pleural dissemination, which developed exclusively on the right side of the thoracic cavity after resection, was found in 12 patients (3.8%); these patients underwent right-sided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage; computed tomography demonstrated that the percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheter passed through the thoracic cavity in all 12 patients. The diagnosis of pleural dissemination was made at a median of 381 days (range, 44 to 2,944 days) after operation. Survival was poor, with a median survival time of 516 days. Statistically, right-sided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage was identified as a risk factor for pleural dissemination.ConclusionPleural dissemination after right-sided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is likely a procedure-related iatrogenic complication because of the “special route” by which the percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage catheter must be passed through the right thoracic cavity.     

Endoscopic and Percutaneous Preoperative Biliary Drainage in Patients with Suspected Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Introduction  

Controversy exists over the preferred technique of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) requiring major liver resection. The current study compared outcomes of endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) in patients with resectable HCCA.     

Utility of staging laparoscopy in subsets of biliary cancers

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of staging laparoscopy in patients with biliary cancers in the era of modern diagnostic imaging. Methods From September 2002 through August 2004, 39 consecutive patients with potentially resectable cholangiocarcinoma underwent preoperative staging laparoscopy before laparotomy. Preoperative imaging included ultrasonography and triphasic computed tomography for all patients and magnetic resonance cholangiography in 35 patients (90%). Final pathological diagnosis included 20 hilar cholangiocarcinomas (HC), 11 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (IHC), and eight gallbladder carcinomas (GBC). Results During laparoscopy, unresectable disease was found in 14/39 patients (36%). The main causes of unresectability were peritoneal carcinomatosis (11/14) and liver metastases (5/14). At laparotomy, nine patients (37%) were found to have advanced disease precluding resection. Vascular invasion and nodal metastases were the main causes of unresectability during laparotomy (eight out of nine). In detecting peritoneal metastases and liver metastases, laparoscopy had an accuracy of 92 and 71%, respectively. All patients with vascular or nodal involvement were missed by laparoscopy. For prediction of unresectability disease, the yield and accuracy of laparoscopy were highest for GBC (62% yield and 83% accuracy), followed by IHC (36% yield and 67% accuracy) and HC (25% yield and 45% accuracy) Conclusion Staging laparoscopy ensured that unnecessary laparotomy was not performed in 36% of patients with potentially resectable biliary carcinoma after extensive preoperative imaging. In patients with biliary carcinoma that appears resectable, staging laparoscopy allows detection of peritoneal and liver metastasis in one third of patients. Both vascular and lymph nodes invasions were not diagonsed by this procedure. Due to these limitations, laparoscopy is more useful in ruling out dissemination in GBC and IHC than in HC.     

肝门部胆管癌不同胆汁引流方式的疗效分析

目的回顾性分析不同经皮经肝胆汁引流方式对BismuthⅡ～Ⅳ型肝门部胆管癌患者术后疗效的影响。方法97例BismuthⅡ～Ⅳ型肝门部胆管癌患者按照不同引流方式分组：单侧和双侧引流组,每组又分为支架引流和引流管引流,比较各引流方式的术后疗效。结果单、双侧引流组的近期总胆红素下降程度分级差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）,中位生存期分别为7.5和6.7个月,生存率差异亦无统计学意义;单侧支架引流与引流管引流、单侧与双侧支架引流的中位生存期分别为6.0、6.5、6.0、4.3个月,组间生存率差异无统计学意义,但引流管组术后近远期并发症发生率高。结论对BismuthⅡ～Ⅳ型肝门部胆管癌患者可行单侧胆管引流以减轻黄疸,以胆管内支架治疗为首选,可获得满意临床疗效,且不影响近期胆红素下降和远期生存情况。     

The influence of positive peritoneal cytology on survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for pancreatic adenocarcinoma classifies positive peritoneal cytology as stage IV disease. Data are limited with respect to the prevalence of positive peritoneal cytology and its influence on survival in patients with resectable, locally advanced, and metastatic disease. Four hundred sixty-two patients underwent staging laparoscopy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma between January 1995 and December 2005. Kaplan-Meier survival comparisons were performed to evaluate the significance of positive peritoneal cytology on overall survival (OS) in resected patients and patients with locally advanced and metastatic disease. Of the 462 patients, 47% (217/462) underwent a pancreatic resection. The 21% (95/462) with locally advanced disease and 32% (150/462) with metastatic disease did not undergo resection. Peritoneal cytology was positive in 17% (77/462), and was associated with stage of disease (metastatic, 37%; locally advanced, 11%; resected, 5%; P=0.01). Positive cytology was not associated with OS in patients with metastatic disease or locally advanced disease, but was in resected patients (median, 16 months vs. 8 months; P<0.001). Node-positive disease was present in 8 of 10 patients resected with positive cytology (2 years OS, 12% positive cytology vs. 23% negative; P=0.006). In this study, patients who underwent resection in the presence of positive peritoneal cytology and absence of other identifiable metastatic disease had a similar survival as other patients with stage IV disease. Presented at the Forty-Seventh Annual Meeting of The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Los Angeles, California, May 20–24, 2006 (poster presentation).     

Percutaneous transhepatic endoprostheses for hilar cholangiocarcinoma

In patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma, percutaneous transhepatic endoprosthesis insertion is one of the available methods of palliation. We reviewed our experience with it in 35 consecutive patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma who were judged on clinical or radiologic evidence to be unsuitable for resective or palliative surgery. The 30-day mortality rate was 14 percent (5 of 35 patients). Of the remaining 30 patients, endoprosthesis placement was successful in 28, with 2 patients discharged with a permanent external drainage catheter. Twenty-four patients survived a median of 3 months (range 1 to 17 months), and 2 were lost to follow-up. Good or fair palliation of symptoms was achieved in 50 percent of the discharged patients and in 66 percent of those living longer than 3 months. We believe that percutaneous transhepatic endoprostheses can provide useful palliation in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, even in the presence of advanced disease.     

胆道金属支架置入治疗肝门部胆管癌的临床研究

目的:探讨经皮经肝胆道引流(PTBD)及经内镜逆行胰胆管造影(ERCP)置入胆道支架治疗肝门部胆管癌的临床应用价值。方法:对75例行金属胆道支架置入的肝门部胆管癌患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果:PTBD组31例患者中29例实施支架放置,26例(89.7%)成功置入支架并发症发生率为6.5%,中位生存时间为26周;ERCP组44例患者中38例(86.4%)成功置入支架,并发症发生率为13.6%,中位生存时间为28周。29例单侧支架置入者和35例双侧支架置入者中位生存时间均为28周。结论:经PTBD及经ERCP的胆道支架置入对肝门部胆管癌均可获得良好的治疗效果。以PTBD方式放置时可采用单侧置入,以ERCP方式放置时应进行左右侧双支架置入。     

Role of staging laparoscopy in peri-pancreatic and hepatobiliary malignancy

Even after extensive preoperative assessment, staging laparoscopy may allow avoidance of non-therapeutic laparotomy in patients with radiographically occult metastatic or locally unresectable disease. Staging laparoscopy is associated with decreased postoperative pain, a shorter hospital stay and a higher likelihood of receiving systemic therapy compared to laparotomy but its yield has decreased with improvements in imaging techniques. Current uses of staging laparoscopy include the following: (1) In the staging of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, laparoscopic staging allows for the identification of sub-radiographic metastatic disease in locally advanced cancer in approximately 30% of patients and, in radiographically resectable cancer, may identify metastatic disease in 10%-15% of cases; (2) In colorectal liver metastases, selective use of laparoscopic staging in patients with a clinical risk score of over 2 identifies unresectable disease in approximately 20% of patients; (3) In hepatocellular carcinoma, laparoscopic staging could be selectively used in high-risk patients such as those with clinically apparent liver cirrhosis and in patients with major vascular invasion or bilobar tumors; and (4) In biliary tract malignancy, staging laparoscopy may be used in all patients with potentially resectable primary gallbladder cancer and in selected patients with T2/T3 hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Because of the decreasing yield of SL secondary to improvements in imaging techniques, staging laparoscopy should be used selectively for patients with pancreatic and hepatobiliary malignancy to avoid unnecessary non-therapeutic laparotomy and to improve resource utilization. Each individual surgeon should apply his or her threshold as to whether staging laparoscopy is indicated according to the quality of preoperative imaging studies and the availability of resources at their own institution.     

Clinicoanatomical study on the infraportal bile ducts of segment 3

In some patients, bile ducts of segments 2 and 3 (B2 and B3) run caudally to the umbilical portion of the left portal vein (UP)--an infraportal course. We aimed to evaluate the frequency and clinical implications of this variation. Between January 1992 and October 2000, 108 patients underwent resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The records of the 6 patients with infraportal left hepatic ducts were evaluated. An infraportal B3 was diagnosed in 6 patients (6%). No patient had an infraportal B2. An infraportal B3 could be demonstrated by computed tomography (CT) before biliary drainage, percutaneous transhepatic or endoscopic cholangiography, portography after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) via B3 and CT after PTBD via B3. Four patients (4/6) had a liver bridge covering Rex's recess (B3 not in the bridge). The incidence of the bridge in 75 comparable patients was 9/75. In conclusion, common radiologic methods are sufficient for diagnosis of abnormal biliary anatomy. The presence of a liver bridge over Rex's recess is suggestive of this variation. Separate biliary reconstruction for an infraportal branch is mandatory in an extended right hepatectomy for biliary tract cancer and may be necessary in liver transplantation with segments 2+3 grafting.     

Laparoscopy and peritoneal cytology in the staging of pancreatic cancer

Staging laparoscopy in patients with pancreatic cancer allows identification of metastatic disease which is beyond the resolution of computed tomography. Laparoscopic ultrasound, dissection, and/or peritoneal cytology may be used to enhance the sensitivity of the staging procedure. Our experience at Massachusetts General Hospital with staging laparoscopy and peritoneal cytology over the past 8 years (N = 239) reveals that approximately 30% of patients without metastases by computed tomography harbor occult metastatic disease at laparoscopy. Additionally, published series demonstrate accurate determination of resectability in greater than 75% of patients after staging laparoscopy. Staging laparoscopy in patients with pancreatic cancer allows optimization of resources and avoidance of unnecessary surgery. Received for publication on Aug. 21, 1999; accepted on Sept. 2, 1999     

Palliative percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage: assessment of morbidity and mortality

The results of palliative percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage were assessed retrospectively in 16 cases and prospectively in 7 between 1982 and 1985. Causes of biliary obstruction were metastatic cancer (nine), pancreatic cancer (nine), cholangiocarcinoma (three) and gallbladder cancer (two). Internal drainage was established in 78.3%. In the 19 patients who died, the mean duration of drainage was 3.6 months. Early morbidity was 17.4%. Late septic morbidity occurred in 11 patients (48%) (a total of 28 episodes). Late deaths (31.2%) resulted from upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hepatic abscess, septic shock, subhepatic abscess and peritonitis. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is associated with substantial morbidity (67.4%) and mortality (35.5%) from infection. Palliation was modest; only eight patients spent more than half their survival time at home, and 10 patients never left hospital. Clinical trials are required to assess the risk-to-benefit ratio and role of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage versus surgical bypass in patients with lesions amenable to surgery, and biliary drainage versus no treatment in patients whose tumour cannot be bypassed.