[Palliative treatment of neoplastic jaundice by a percutaneous transhepatic endoprosthesis. Apropos of 73 cases].

Seventy three patients with malignant obstruction of the extrahepatic bile ducts were submitted to palliative drainage through percutaneous transhepatic endoprosthesis (P.T.E.). Complications occurred within the first month following the procedure in 13 patients (18%) and 8 of them died (10%). Cholangitis was the main complication resulting, from dysfunction of the endoprosthesis due to an incorrect placement of the stent in most cases. On the other hand, not any significant vascular complication such as previously reported following P.T.E., was encountered in our series. Late complications are mainly due to endoprosthesis obstruction (5 cases) or dislodgement (2 cases). The mortality rate within the first month following P.T.E. is 19%, resulting from either a complication of the procedure (11%) or the underlying disease (8%). The mean survival of these 73 patients, is 4, 7 months. When considering only the 59 patients who are alive one month following the procedure, the mean survival (post-operative deaths excluded) is 6 months. According to our experience P.T.E. remains a valuable palliative procedure when other endoscopic or surgical methods either have failed or cannot be resorted to provided a correct placement of the stent allowing for a good bile drainage can be achieved. Thus P.T.E. is able to provide in many cases the same long-term survival as palliative surgery, allowing the patients to resume their normal daily activity.