title: Bilateral hepatic duct decompression via a single percutaneous tract using a 'mother-baby' drainage catheter.
abstract: Decompression of the right and left hepatic ducts using a 'mother-baby' self-made drainage system via a single percutaneous tract was performed successfully in 15 of 21 patients with benign (n = 4) and malignant (= 17) hilar obstruction. The 'mother-baby' drainage system was composed of an 18 F catheter placed through the right hepatic duct into the distal common bile duct which was designated as the 'mother' catheter, while a second 10 F baby catheter was placed through the first catheter into the left hepatic ducts. This was achieved by a three-stage procedure: (1) percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage; (2) balloon dilatation of the tract; and (3) intubation of the contralateral hepatic duct and placement of the 'mother-baby' drainage catheters. The mean interval of stent clogging was 5 months, with a range of 2-9 months. In 12 malignant cases, average survival time was 9.8 months. The technique avoided a second percutaneous hepatic puncture in centrally obstructing lesions and afforded bilateral biliary decompression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tainan Municipal Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yueh
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D001651:Cholestasis, Extrahepatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D003135:Common Bile Duct; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006500:Hepatic Duct, Common; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011677:Punctures; D015641:Radiography, Interventional; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional