Clinical application of percutaneous drainage in treating hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombosis

Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of percutaneous interventional treatment on obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombus.

Material and methods: A total of 16 patients with bile duct tumor thrombus were included in the current retrospective study. All the patients were subjected to percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). Treatment included permanent external drainage, internal drainage and routine tube adjustment, and covered stents according to the patients’ clinical manifestations.

Results: The success rate of PTBD was 100%. Among all the patients, two were treated with permanent external drainage, seven were treated with internal drainage and routine tube adjustment, and seven were treated with detaining covered stents. All the drainage tubes were successfully pulled out from the patients receiving covered stents. Among all the 16 patients, the clinical symptoms and life quality of 12 patients (12/16, 75%) were improved. The average survival time of all the patients was 203.7 days (ranging from 30 days to 391 days) with the median survival time of 199.5 days.

Conclusions: Percutaneous interventional therapy for obstructive jaundice caused by hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombus is a good choice. It improves patients’ life quality. Permanent external drainage, internal drainage, and covered stents are alternative methods which should be chosen according to the patient’s condition.