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Arterial complications of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage

  • Clinical Investigations
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Abstract

Purpose:

To report on the frequency and treatment of arterial complications due to percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD).

Materials:

Lesions of the intrahepatic artery were encountered in 10 of 525 patients treated by PTBD (2%). Hemobilia followed in 9 patients and subcapsular hematoma in 1. Seven patients had a benign biliary stenosis and 3 had a malignant stenosis.

Results:

The bleeding resolved spontaneously in 3 patients. In 7 it required arterial embolization, which was successfully achieved either through the percutaneous catheter (n=3) or by arteriography (n=4).

Conclusion:

Arterial bleeding is a relatively rare complication of PTBD that can easily be treated by selective arterial embolization when it does not resolve spontaneously. In this series its frequency was much higher (16%) when the stenosis was benign than when it was malignant (0.6%).

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L'Hermine, C., Ernst, O., Delemazure, O. et al. Arterial complications of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 19, 160–164 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02577612

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02577612

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