Table 3.
Technical aspects of biliary drainage in regional centers.
| Total N = 83 | |
|---|---|
| Jaundiced patient | 72 (86.7) |
| CT/MRI/MRCP prior to biliary drainage, n (%) | 70 (84.3) |
| Indications for biliary drainage, n (%) | |
| Malignant hilar obstruction | 52 (62.7) |
| Jaundice of unknown cause | 13 (15.7) |
| Cholangitis | 6 (7.2) |
| Increasing bilirubin | 5 (6.0) |
| Suspicion of bile duct stones | 4 (4.8) |
| Brush cytology | 3 (3.6) |
| Technical success, n (%) | |
| After initial procedure | 66 (79.5) |
| After additional procedures (at regional center) | 69 (83.1) |
| Therapeutic success if jaundiced (N = 74), n (%) | 37 (50.0) |
| Number of drainage procedures, median (IQR) | 1 (2) |
| >1 procedure, n (%) | 38 (45.8) |
| >2 procedures, n (%) | 10 (12.0) |
| Drainage method, n (%) | |
| ERCP only | 67 (80.7) |
| PTBD only | 2 (2.4) |
| Both | 14 (16.9) |
| Stent type (if technical success, N = 69), n (%) | |
| Plastic | 64 (92.8) |
| Metal | 5 (7.2) |
| Stent position, n (%) | |
| Left liver segments | 23 (27.7) |
| Right liver segments | 29 (34.9) |
| Left + right liver segments | 9 (10.8) |
| Common bile duct only | 7 (8.4) |
| Brush performed, n (%) | |
| No | 34 (41.0) |
| Yes (benign/inconclusive/malign) | 49 (59.0) (7/22/20) |
CT: computed tomography; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; MRCP: magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography; ERCP: endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; PTBD: percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage.