Radiological procedures of the biliary tract and their complications

In order to assess the incidence and type of complications at PTC and transhepatic bile duct intubation three different patient populations were investigated retrospectively. Information form angiofraphy (n =83), CT (n =23), PTC examinations (n = 237) and medical records were analysed in order to detect complications caused by the transhepatic procedures. Complications were observed in 17-33 %, treatment was required in 4-6 % and procedure related mortality was 1-2 % in the different materials. A randomised prospective clinical investigation in 200 consecutive patients was performed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of preoperative intravenous infusion cholangiography (PIC) with iotroxate as compared to that of operative cholangiography (OC) and to assess the incidence of complications. Bile duct calculus was underdiagnosed with PIC in 1/124 patients and overdiagnosed with OC in 3/124 patients examined with both methods. PIC was found to reduce operating time significantly. Only two minor (1 %) and no serve of fatal reactions to iotroxate were noted. An experimental model was set up to study the morphology of surgically created stenotic bile duct anastomoses in 13 pigs before and after transhepatic balloon catheter dilatation. In pigs not dilated by balloon catheter a fibrotic stenosis persisted during a follow-up period of 25 weeks. Transhepatic balloon catheter dilatation of the stenotic area caused a bile duct wall lesion which resulted in a fibrous healing that was almost complete after four weeks. An initial increase of the stricture diameter was followed by partial restenosis in the short-term follow-up. (author)