Endoscopic or percutaneous biliary drainage for Klatskin tumors? A large retrospective study.

Abstract

277 Background: Controversy exists over the preferred technique of biliary drainage in patients with Klatskin tumors as few comparative studies exist. This study compared outcomes of endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). Methods: 129 patients with Klatskin tumors with an initial EBD or PTBD were identified from 01/01/1991 to 31/05/2011 and their clinical histories were retrospectively reviewed. The primary end point was the time to therapeutic success (TTS: time between the first drainage and a total bilirubin<40µmol/L), estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: The first biliary decompression procedure was EBD in 87 patients and PTBD in 42 patients. The technical (98% vs 78%, p=0.004) and therapeutic (79% vs 49%, p=0.002) successes were significantly higher in the PTBD group than EBD group, respectively; Forty four patients (51%) in the EBD group subsequently underwent a PTBD before achieving therapeutic success or starting their antitumoral treatment. The median TTS was 55 days in EBD group vs 44 days in the PTBD group (multivariate analysis: HR=0.63, 95% CI=0.41-0.99, p=0.045). In patients treated by surgery or chemotherapy +/− radiotherapy, the median time to treatment was 68 and 76 days in the PTBD group and the EBD group, respectively, p=0.76. 25% and 21% of cholangitis occurred in EBD and PTBD group, respectively (p=0.34). Conclusions: In the era where chemotherapy prolongs life even in advanced disease, shortening time to success matters. Our results suggest relying on PTB for biliary decompression would be an improved treatment strategy when treating patients with Klatskin tumor.