title: Nonsurgical management of primary cholangiocarcinoma. Retrospective analysis of 40 cases.
abstract: Forty patients with cholangiocarcinoma (23 men, 17 women) underwent nonsurgical palliative biliary drainage over a period of 12 years. All were surgically unfit or had unresectable disease. All were jaundiced at presentation with a mean serum bilirubin of 11.5 +/- 1.9 mg/dl. Thirty patients (75%) had hilar obstruction. Twenty-eight were drained percutaneously, three endoscopically and nine by a combined endoscopic and percutaneous procedure. Technical success was 97.5%. Final mean bilirubin was 1.5 +/- 0.4 mg/dl. Minor complications occurred in 10 (25%) patients, and major complications in four (10%). Procedure-related mortality was 2.5% with a 30-day mortality of 7.5%. Mean survival was 8.2 +/- 0.5 months. Stent changes were required in eight patients. In patients with inoperable or unresectable cholangiocarcinoma, percutaneous or endoscopic biliary drainage offers effective palliation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72205.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Teplick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D017734:Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D001651:Cholestasis, Extrahepatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D015996:Survival Rate