Preoperative course of patients undergoing endoscopic nasobiliary drainage during the management of resectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

Preoperative risk factors for skeletal muscle mass loss in patients with biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC)-related procedures, usually performed before biliary tract cancer (BTC) surgery, are associated with increased risk for various complications, which can cause sarcopenia. No study has previously elucidated the relationship between preoperative ERC-related procedures and sarcopenia/skeletal muscle mass loss.

METHODS

Patients with BTC who underwent radical surgical resection following ERC-related procedures were included. Skeletal muscle mass was evaluated using the psoas muscle mass index (PMI), which was determined using computed tomography images, and the change in PMI before the initial pre-ERC and surgery (ΔPMI) was calculated. Risk factors for advanced skeletal muscle mass loss, defined as a large ΔPMI, were evaluated.

RESULTS

The study cohort included 90 patients with a median age of 72 (interquartile range, 65-75) years. The median PMI pre-ERC and surgery was 4.40 and 4.15 cm2/m2, respectively (p < .01). The median ΔPMI was -6.2% (interquartile range, -10.9% to 0.5%). By multivariate analysis, post-ERC pancreatitis and cholangitis before surgery were independent predictive factors for large PMI loss (odds ratio, 4.57 and 3.18, respectively; p = .03 and p = .02, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Skeletal muscle mass decreases preoperatively in most patients with BTC undergoing ERC. Post-ERC pancreatitis and cholangitis before surgery were independent risk factors for large skeletal muscle mass loss.

Risk factors for recurrent biliary obstruction following suprapapillary placement of a plastic stent as preoperative biliary drainage for perihilar biliary malignancy

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The usefulness of endoscopic biliary stenting by deploying a plastic stent suprapapillary, called inside-stent (IS) placement, as preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) for perihilar biliary malignancy (PHBM) has been demonstrated. This study investigated risk factors for recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO) after IS placement.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with potentially resectable PHBM treated with IS placement as PBD between 2017 and 2023 at Nagoya University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 157 patients were included, with RBO occurring in 34 (22%) patients. The non-RBO rates were 83% at 30 days, 77% at 60 days, and 57% at 90 days. The most common cause of RBO was stent occlusion (n = 14), followed by segmental cholangitis (n = 12) and stent migration (n = 8). Stent migration and occlusion occurred more frequently within and after 1 week post-stenting, respectively. In multivariate analysis, biliary infection before IS was the sole risk factor for RBO, with a hazard ratio of 2.404 (95% confidence interval 1.163-4.972; p = .018). This risk was reduced by temporary endoscopic nasobiliary drainage prior to definitive IS placement.

CONCLUSIONS

Biliary infection before IS was identified as an independent risk factor for RBO in patients with PHBM with IS as PBD.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTER

Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000025631.

Endoscopic nasobiliary drainage versus endoscopic biliary stenting for preoperative biliary drainage in patients with malignant hilar biliary obstruction: Propensity score-matched multicenter comparative study

OBJECTIVES

For preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) of malignant hilar biliary obstruction (MHBO), current guidelines recommend endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) due to the higher risk of cholangitis after endoscopic biliary stenting (EBS) during the waiting period before surgery. However, few studies have supported this finding. Therefore, we aimed to compare the outcomes of preoperative ENBD and EBS in patients with MHBO.

METHODS

Patients with MHBO who underwent laparotomy for radical surgery after ENBD or EBS were included from retrospectively collected data from 13 centers (January 2014 to December 2018). We performed a 1:1 propensity score matching between the ENBD and EBS groups. These patients were compared for the following: cholangitis and all adverse events (AEs) after endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) until surgery, time to cholangitis development after EBD, postsurgical AEs, and in-hospital death after surgery.

RESULTS

Of the 414 patients identified, 355 were analyzed in this study (226 for ENBD and 129 for EBS). The matched cohort included 63 patients from each group. The proportion of cholangitis after EBD was similar between the two groups (20.6% vs. 25.4%, P = 0.67), and no significant difference was observed in the time to cholangitis development. The proportions of surgical site infections, bile leaks, and in-hospital mortality rates were similar between the groups.

CONCLUSION

For PBD of MHBO, the proportion of AEs, including cholangitis, after EBD until surgery was similar when either ENBD or EBS was used.

Updates in Diagnosis and Endoscopic Management of Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an adenocarcinoma originating from the epithelial cells of the bile ducts/hepatocytes or peribiliary glands. There are three types of cholangiocarcinoma: intrahepatic, perihilar and distal. CCA represents approximately 3% of the gastrointestinal malignancies. The incidence of CCA is higher in regions of the Eastern world compared to the Western countries. There are multiple risk factors associated with cholangiocarcinoma such as liver fluke, primary sclerosing cholangitis, chronic hepatitis B, liver cirrhosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Endoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of cholangiocarcinoma. The main endoscopic methods used for diagnosis, biliary drainage and delivering intrabiliary local therapies are endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound. The purpose of this review is to analyze the current data found in literature about cholangiocarcinoma, with a focus on the actual diagnostic tools and endoscopic management options.

Endoscopic management of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

Endoscopic management for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCC) is evolving toward more accurate diagnosis and safer drainage. In imaging, it is important to diagnose the entire lesion using multidetector-row computed tomography to determine resectability and optimal surgical planning, followed by local diagnosis using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Video peroral cholangioscopy and probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy have been newly introduced as diagnostic imaging methods and are being applied clinically. In transpapillary forceps biopsy for PHCC diagnosis, the location in the bile duct (for mapping biopsy) and the number of biopsy samples should be determined depending on resectability, the morphological type, and future surgical planning. Preoperative drainage has shifted from percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage to endoscopic nasobiliary drainage given the possibility of seeding metastasis. In addition, considering potential patient discomfort from a nasal tube, the usefulness of the placement of a plastic stent above the papilla (inside stent) as a bridging therapy for surgery has been reported. For drainage of unresectable PHCC, the improved prognosis due to advances in chemotherapy has necessitated a strategy that accounts for reintervention. Thus, in addition to uncovered self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS), exchangeable slim fully covered SEMS and inside stents have started to be used. In addition to the conventional transpapillary approach, an endoscopic ultrasonography-guided approach has been introduced, and a combination of both methods has also been proposed. To improve the quality of life and prognosis of PHCC patients, endoscopists need to understand and be able to use the various methods of endoscopic management for PHCC.

Comparison of an Inside Stent and a Fully Covered Self-Expandable Metallic Stent as Preoperative Biliary Drainage for Patients with Resectable Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Background

There is a need for a more tolerable preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) method for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCC). In recent years, inside stents (ISs) have attracted attention as a less suffering PBD method. Few studies have compared IS with a fully covered self-expandable metallic stent (FCSEMS) as PBD for resectable PHCC. The aim of this study is to compare them.

Methods

This study involved 86 consecutive patients (IS: 51; FCSEMS: 35). The recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO) rate until undergoing surgery or being diagnosed as unresectable, time to RBO, factors related to RBO, incidence of adverse events related to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, and postoperative complications associated with each stent were evaluated retrospectively.

Results

There was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of adverse events after stent insertion. After propensity score matching, the mean (SD) time to RBO was 37.9 (30.2) days in the IS group and 45.1 (35.1) days in the FCSEMS group, with no significant difference (P=0.912, log-rank test). A total of 7/51 patients in the IS group and 3/35 patients in the FCSEMS group developed RBO. The only risk factor for RBO was bile duct obstruction of the future excisional liver lobe(s) due to stenting (HR 29.8, P=0.008) in the FCSEMS group, but risk factors could not be indicated in the IS group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of bile leakage or liver failure. In contrast, pancreatic fistula was significantly more common in the FCSEMS group (13/23 patients) than in the IS group (3/28 patients) (P < 0.001), especially in patients who did not undergo pancreatectomy (P=0.001).

Conclusions

As PBD, both IS and FCSEMS achieved low RBO rates. Compared with FCSEMS, IS shows no difference in RBO rate, is associated with fewer postoperative complications, and is considered an appropriate means of PBD for resectable PHCC. This trail is registered with UMIN000025631.

Comparison of plastic stent versus metal stent in preoperative biliary drainage for pancreatic head cancer with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

BACKGROUND

While neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) for pancreatic head cancer are effective, preoperative endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) is necessary for managing obstructive jaundice and cholangitis during the preoperative waiting period. Nevertheless, ideal choice of stent type is unclear. We compared plastic stents (PS) and metal stents (MS) in these situations.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied 43 patients who successfully underwent preoperative EBD prior to NACRT for pancreatic head cancer at a single institution. We divided patients into PS (n = 22) and MS (n = 21) groups. The primary outcome was the rate of re-interventional drainage rate before surgery. Secondary outcomes were rates of EBD-associated and postoperative complications and total costs in the pre- and perioperative periods.

RESULTS

The re-intervention rate was significantly greater in the PS group than in the MS group (95% vs 4.8%, respectively, P < 0.05). EBD-associated and postoperative complications were significantly less common in the MS group (P < 0.05). The average total preoperative medical costs were significantly lower in the MS group (PS vs MS: 528,597 vs 395,891 JPY, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

MS can be the first choice for EBD in patients undergoing NACRT for pancreatic head cancer. MS may be less costly overall.

The placement of multiple plastic stents still has important roles in candidates for chemotherapy for unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Placement of uncovered self-expandable metallic stents (U-SEMSs) of patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (UPHC) is recommended as the treatment of first choice to address bile stasis. The aim of this study was to determine which of the following two endoscopic stents might be the stent of first choice for the treatment of biliary stasis in patients with UPHC: plastic stents (PSs) or U-SEMSs.

METHODS

U-SEMSs, deployed as a stent-in-stent, were selected as the stents of first choice from 2013 and 2014, while PSs began to be selected as the stents of first choice from 2015 onward.

RESULTS

The median time to recurrent biliary obstruction were 66 days in the PS group (N = 38) and 105 days in the U-SEMS group (N = 37; P = .04). Emergency endoscopy was necessitated in 76.3% (29/38) of patients of the PS group and 54.1% (20/37) of patients of the U-SEMS group (P = .0434). The success rate of the first reintervention was 96.5% (27/29) in the PS group and 55% (11/20) in the U-SEMS group (P = .0002). Sustainable chemotherapy could be carried out in 55.2% of patients in the PS group and 32.4% of patients in the U-SEMS group (P = .0472). Multivariate analysis identified selection of U-SEMS as the stent of first choice as the only independent factor predictive of successful reintervention (P = .0016, odds ratio = 0.058). However, the stent selection was not an independent factor for feasible chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Plastic stent placement could enhance the success rate of reintervention in patients with UPHC and might be facilitated by sustainable chemotherapy. However, stent selection might not have an influence on the prognosis.

Acute and subacute effects of irreversible electroporation on normal common bile ducts in a rabbit model

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the acute and subacute effects of irreversible electroporation (IRE) on normal common bile ducts (CBDs).

METHODS

Cell susceptibility to IRE was assessed in vitro with cholangiocarcinoma and normal cell lines. The electric field and temperature distributions were evaluated with a two-dimensional simulation model of bile duct. In vivo bile duct IRE was performed in 28 adult rabbits.

RESULTS

Different cells showed different susceptibility to the effect of IRE, cancer cell line HUCC-T1 was the least sensitive to IRE. Simulations predicted the distributions of electric field and temperature during the IRE process, and the maximum temperature of tissue was below 43℃. Complications were observed in 8/28 animals (biliary dilatation, n = 4; biliary stricture, n = 4) by postoperative days 7, 14, and 28. Histopathological analyses revealed complete cell death with bile duct wall integrity. Bile duct epithelial recovery was completed between post-IRE days 14-28.

CONCLUSIONS

The normal CBD retains the lumen wall integrity following IRE with immediate periductal placement of the electrode. However, the risk of biliary dilatation and stricture is a reminder that the parameters of IRE need to be determined more precisely to ensure the treatment efficacy and reduce the risk of collateral damage.

Risk factors for dysfunction of preoperative endoscopic biliary drainage for malignant hilar biliary obstruction

BACKGROUND

Few studies have focused on the risk factors for dysfunction of endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) in preoperative patients with malignant hilar biliary obstruction (MHBO).

METHODS

We searched the database between February 2011 and December 2018 and identified patients with MHBO who underwent radical operation. The rate of dysfunction of the initial EBD, risk factors for dysfunction of the initial EBD and survival after surgery were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

We analyzed a total of 131 patients [95 males (72.5%); mean age, 69.5 (±7.3) years; Bismuth-Corlette classification (BC) I/II/IIIa/IIIb/IV, 50/26/22/17/16; hilar cholangiocarcinoma/gall bladder cancer, 115/16]. Dysfunction of the initial EBD occurred in 28 patients (21.4%). The cumulative incidences of dysfunction of the initial EBD in all patients were 18.4%, 38.2% and 47.0% at 30, 60 and 90 days, respectively (Kaplan-Meier method). The rate of dysfunction of the initial EBD increased in patients with BC-IV (P = .03). Multivariate analysis showed that BC-IV and pre-EBD cholangitis were significantly associated with the occurrence of dysfunction of the initial EBD. Survival rates were not significantly different according to the initial biliary drainage methods and presence/absence of the initial EBD dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS

Dysfunction of the initial EBD frequently occurs in patients with the BC-IV and those with pre-EBD cholangitis.

Duplication of extrahepatic bile duct with lower common bile duct cancer

Highlight Fukuba and colleagues report a case of lower common bile duct cancer with the extremely rare anomaly of left and right bile ducts parallel with the duodenal papilla, and joined distally to form a single short common bile duct. Fully covered metallic stents were placed in a side-by-side manner.

Fifty-year history of biliary surgery

There has been enormous progress in the surgical treatment of biliary tract cancers in the past 50 years. In preoperative management, biliary drainage methods have changed from percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage to endoscopic nasobiliary drainage, while the advent of multidetector-row computed tomography in imaging diagnostics now enables visualization of three-dimensional anatomy, extent of cancer progression, and hepatic segment volume. Portal vein embolization has also greatly improved the safety of extended hepatectomy, and indication of extended hepatectomy can now be objectively determined with a combination of the indocyanine green test and computed tomography volumetry. In terms of surgery, combined resection and reconstruction of the portal vein and/or hepatic artery can now be safely carried out at specialized centers. Further, long-term survival can be attained with combined vascular resection if R0 resection can be achieved, even in locally advanced cancer. Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy, combined major hepatectomy with pancreatoduodenectomy, should be aggressively carried out for laterally advanced cholangiocarcinoma, whereas its indication for advanced gallbladder cancer should be carefully evaluated. Japanese surgeons have made a significant contribution to the progression of extended surgeries such as combined vascular resection and hepatopancreatoduodenectomy for biliary tract cancer.