Increasing occurrence of choledochal malformations in children: a single-center 37-year experience from Finland

Long-term outcome for children undergoing open hepatico-jejunostomy for choledochal malformations: a 43-year single-center experience

PURPOSE

To report on our 43-year single-center experience with children operated on for Choledochal Malformations (CMs), focusing on long-term results and Quality of life (QoL).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All consecutive pediatric patients with CMs who underwent surgical treatment at our center between October 1980 and December 2022 were enrolled in this retrospective study. We focused on long-term postoperative complications (POCs), considered to be complications arising at least 5 years after surgery. We analyzed QoL status once patients reached adulthood, comparing the results with a control group of the same age and sex.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirteen patients underwent open excision of CMs with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (HJ). The median follow-up was 8.95 years (IQR: 3.74-24.41). Major long-term POCs occurred in six patients (8.9%), with a median presentation of 11 years after surgery. The oldest patient is currently 51. No cases of biliary malignancy were detected. The QoL of our patients was comparable with the control group.

CONCLUSION

Our experience suggests that open complete excision of CMs with HJ achieves excellent results in terms of long-term postoperative outcomes. However, since the most severe complications can occur many years after surgery, international cooperation is advisable to define a precise transitional care follow-up protocol.

Characteristics, management and outcomes of choledochal malformations in Finnish adult patients

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly half of operated patients developed long-term postoperative complications. A novel association between CMs and IBD was observed. Although no hepatobiliary malignancies regardless of treatment modality were encountered, the number of patients and length of follow-up remained limited.

Long-term Morbidity of Choledochal Malformations in Children

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to assess long-term morbidity in children operated for choledochal malformation (CM) by relating clinical complications to liver histopathology, follow-up imaging, liver stiffness, and biochemistry.

METHODS

A single-center retrospective follow-up study including all CM patients (n = 55, 71% girls) treated during 1976 to 2018 was performed. Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman rank correlation were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

During median follow-up of 5.8 (interquartile range, 2.5-12) years, 1 patient was lost to follow-up whereas all survived. Intraoperative liver biopsies showed fibrosis in 32%, and patients with Metavir stage ≥2 were younger at surgery (0.36 [0.11-1.9] vs 3.8 [0.72-10.5] years, P = 0.024) than those without fibrosis. Overall, 21% had long-term complications including cholangitis in 9 (>2 episodes in 5) patients, anastomotic stricture in 2 referred patients and adhesive volvulus or hepatocellular carcinoma in 1 each. Anastomotic strictures were successfully managed nonoperatively and hepatocellular carcinoma with thermoablation. In postoperative magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRCP) performed 6.4 (3.6-16) years after hepaticojejunostomy, diameters of both main intrahepatic ducts had decreased significantly to 3.0 (2.5-3.5) mm (P = 0.0001) but a distal cyst stump was remaining in 30% with a length of 6.0 (4.0-20) mm that associated with operation age (r = 0.71, P = 0.015) and fusiform CM type. Follow-up ultrasound revealed mild dilation of intrahepatic bile ducts in 6.3% and mildly to moderately elevated liver biochemistry in 23%, and liver stiffness (>7 kPa) in 22%.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst cholangitis was the most common postoperative problem, individual patients experienced other more significant complications and one quarter of patients showed evidence of underlying liver dysfunction.

Surgical management of a massive choledochal cyst

Choledochal cysts (CC) are congenital bile duct anomalies, typically present in children. The size of CC vary, but they rarely exceed 9 cm. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment. This case report presents 18-year-old female with jaundice and abdominal pain. On imaging she was found to have a type I CC versus a type IVa CC. She was taken to the operating room where she was found to have a 20 cm type I CC. The patient experienced complete recovery after total resection of the extrahepatic cyst with reconstruction with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. Preoperative diagnosis of the type of CCs can be challenging. Proper imaging preoperatively can aid in diagnosis of these cysts, but delineation of anatomy and type may not always be possible. If treated in a timely manner, it can help prevent both long- and short-term complications.

De novo somatic mutations and KRAS amplification are associated with cholangiocarcinoma in a patient with a history of choledochal cyst

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Choledochal cysts are congenital dilations of the bile ducts, and are associated with an increased risk of malignant transformation. The purpose of this study is to report the outcomes of a large series of patients with choledochal cysts and to highlight our analysis of one patient who developed malignancy after cyst resection.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of patients <18 years of age with a choledochal cyst who underwent surgical resection between 1995 and 2018. Molecular testing of resected choledochal cyst specimens using the UCSF500 gene panel was performed on three patients including a 3-month-old boy and a 7-year-old girl who have remained cancer-free, and a 16-year-old girl who subsequently developed cholangiocarcinoma less than two years after resection.

RESULTS

One patient of the 48 included in our study developed cholangiocarcinoma after choledochal cyst resection. We observed de novo somatic mutations in TP53 and RBM10, and KRAS amplification in this patient's tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

In our series, the rate of malignancy after choledochal cyst resection was low. One patient developed de novo mutations in the remnant bile ducts after cyst resection. While it is a rare occurrence, the risk of malignancy following cyst resection supports the need for lifelong surveillance.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Long-term morbidity and follow-up after choledochal malformation surgery; A plea for a quality of life study

Much about the aetiology, pathophysiology, natural course and optimal treatment of choledochal malformation remains under debate. Surgeons continuously strive to optimize their roles in the management of choledochal malformation. Nowadays the standard treatment is complete cyst excision followed by Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, be it via a laparotomy, laparoscopy or robot-assisted procedure. Whatever surgical endeavor is undertaken, it will be a major operation, with significant morbidity. It is important to realize that especially in asymptomatic cases, this is considered prophylactic surgery, aimed at preventing symptoms but even more important the development of malignancy later in life. A clear overview of long-term outcomes is therefore necessary. This paper aims to review the long-term outcomes after surgery for choledochal malformation. We will focus on biliary complications such as cholangitis, the development of malignancy and quality of life. We will try and identify factors related to a worse outcome. Finally, we make a plea for a large scale study into quality and course of life after resection of a choledochal malformation, to help patients, parents and their treating physicians to come to a well-balanced decision regarding the treatment of a choledochal malformation.

Management strategies and treatment results of pediatric choledochal malformations in the Nordic countries

BACKGROUND

Incidence and long-term outcomes of choledochal malformations (CMs) in children remain unclear.

METHODS

Clinical characteristics, operative details, complications, and follow-up data were collected from eight pediatric surgical centers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, which also answered a questionnaire addressing management practices.

RESULTS

During 2000-2017, 126 pediatric CMs were diagnosed, corresponding an incidence of 1:37,400. Diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up practices varied markedly. Of patients with complete clinical data (n = 119), 85% and 11% had type I and IV CMs and were managed by open hepaticojejunostomy at median age of 2.5 (interquartile range 0.46-5.8) years. Associated malformations were more common in fusiform and type IV (23%) than cystic CMs (8%, p = 0.043). Pancreaticobiliary maljunction was more frequently confirmed in patients presenting with pancreatitis (26% vs. 7%, p = 0.005) and with fusiform CMs (56% vs. 25%, p = 0.001). Cholangitis/pancreatitis episodes, occurring in 12% during postoperative follow-up of 4.0 (2.0-7.9) years, associated with longer surveillance (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.13-1.54, p < 0.001). However, only two thirds of centers continued follow-up until adulthood. No malignancies were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

CM incidence was higher than traditionally reported among Western populations. Although open hepaticojejunostomy carries good short-term outcomes, long-term morbidity is noteworthy. Standardized evidence-based management strategies and long-term follow-up are encouraged.

Increased prevalence of pancreaticobiliary maljunction in biliary malignancies

AIM

The incidence of pancreaticobiliary maljunction is thought to approximate 1:100,000 within Western populations. We aimed to study the significance of pancreaticobiliary maljunction in biliary tract malignancies.

METHODS

Medical records and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography images of 252 consecutive patients treated for biliary malignancies during 2005-2016 were reviewed. Patients with other known risk factors for biliary cancers (n = 27) were excluded. A common pancreaticobiliary channel measuring ⩾10 mm outside the duodenal wall was defined as pancreaticobiliary maljunction.

MAIN RESULTS

Of the 225 patients, a reliably interpretable preoperative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was available for 73 (32%). Sex (47% vs 57% females) and age at diagnosis (67 vs 66 years) were similar among patients with or without an magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (p = ns for both). In magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, a pancreaticobiliary maljunction with a median length of 20 mm (range 10-23 mm) was identified in four patients (5.5%, 95% confidence interval 1.6-14), while none had evident accompanying biliary tree dilatation. Pancreaticobiliary maljunction patients were significantly more often females (100% vs 43%, p = 0.043), less likely to have intrahepatic bile duct cancer (0% vs 65%, p = 0.019) while more likely to have gallbladder cancer (75% vs 22%, p = 0.044) compared to the others. Age at diagnosis (66 vs 67 years, p = 0.898), extrahepatic bile duct cancer incidence (25% vs 13%, p = 0.453), and survival status at last follow-up (50% vs 42% alive, p = 1.000) were comparable between the subgroups.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of pancreaticobiliary maljunction is substantially higher in adults with biliary malignancies than one would expect based on its incidence, reinforcing the etiologic role of pancreaticobiliary maljunction especially in females with gallbladder cancer.

Laparoscopic management of choledochal cysts: is a keyhole view missing the big picture?

In recent years, numerous articles have promoted laparoscopic surgical treatment of choledochal cysts in children. Most of these reports assert that laparoscopic excision and biliary reconstruction are as safe as open surgery and achieve equivalent or better results. However, these conclusions are based on retrospective analyses with median follow-up periods that rarely exceed 5 years. Closer scrutiny of the laparoscopic literature indicates that the optimum procedure for treating type I and most type IVa choledochal cysts, namely radical excision of the extrahepatic bile ducts and reconstruction by wide hilar hepaticoenterostomy, preferably hepaticojejunostomy, is not being carried out in most cases. Performing a less radical excision exposes patients to a greater long-term risk of a bilioenteric stricture and its complications and malignant change in residual extrahepatic bile ducts. Currently, the long-term outcomes of surgery for choledochal cysts are being eclipsed by the short-term gains of laparoscopic techniques. The prime objective in the surgical management of choledochal cysts is the long-term health of the patient; laparoscopic techniques are simply another method of performing the surgery and they should not become the standard of care unless long-term outcomes are similar to best practice open surgery.

Complications in pediatric hepatobiliary surgery

This review highlights the complications and their risk factors encountered in pediatric hepatobiliary surgery, specifically in the context of pediatric hepatic resection, excision of choledochal cyst, and the Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy procedure for biliary atresia as well as other procedures potentially affecting the biliary tree. With the understanding that these are relatively rare procedures, case reports and small case series are included in addition to larger series when available. The review focuses on publications in English over the past 15 years. Complications included both surgery-specific pathology, such as biliary stricture after excision of choledochal cyst, and disease-specific entities, such as malnutrition in biliary atresia. This review may be useful when considering a particular procedure or in the discussion thereof with a patient and family. Additionally, it illuminates the need for additional work with larger patient databases to refine and expand our knowledge of these complications and precipitating risk factors.