title: Hepatobiliary complications of alveolar echinococcosis: A long-term follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the long-term hepatobiliary complications of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and treatment options using interventional methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Included in the study were 35 patients with AE enrolled in the Echinococcus Multilocularis Data Bank of the University Hospital of Ulm. Patients underwent endoscopic intervention for treatment of hepatobiliary complications between 1979 and 2012. Patients' epidemiologic data, clinical symptoms, and indications for the intervention, the type of intervention and any additional procedures, hepatic laboratory parameters (pre- and post-intervention), medication and surgical treatment (pre- and post-intervention), as well as complications associated with the intervention and patients' subsequent clinical courses were analyzed. In order to compare patients with AE with and without history of intervention, data from an additional 322 patients with AE who had not experienced hepatobiliary complications and had not undergone endoscopic intervention were retrieved and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Included in the study were 22 male and 13 female patients whose average age at first diagnosis was 48.1 years and 52.7 years at the time of intervention. The average time elapsed between first diagnosis and onset of hepatobiliary complications was 3.7 years. The most common symptoms were jaundice, abdominal pains, and weight loss. The number of interventions per patient ranged from one to ten. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was most frequently performed in combination with stent placement (82.9%), followed by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage (31.4%) and ERCP without stent placement (22.9%). In 14.3% of cases, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was performed. A total of eight patients received a biliary stent. A comparison of biochemical hepatic function parameters at first diagnosis between patients who had or had not undergone intervention revealed that these were significantly elevated in six patients who had undergone intervention. Complications (cholangitis, pancreatitis) occurred in six patients during and in 12 patients following the intervention. The average survival following onset of hepatobiliary complications was 8.8 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatobiliary complications occur in about 10% of patients. A significant increase in hepatic transaminase concentrations facilitates the diagnosis. Interventional methods represent viable management options.
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Tilmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graeter
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ehing
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Suemeyra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oeztuerk
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Richard Andrew
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Mark Martin
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Haenle
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kratzer
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seufferlein
authors.affiliation: Tilmann Graeter, Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gruener
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde / Q000295:instrumentation; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D004443:Echinococcosis; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007565:Jaundice / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alveolar echinococcosis; Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; Hepatobiliary complication; Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography; Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage; Stent placement; Treatment