Subcutaneous implantation metastasis of a cholangiocarcinoma of the bile duct after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD).

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is the basis for most biliary interventional procedures. We recently observed the occurrence of a subcutaneous implantation metastasis after PTBD in a patient with incurable cholangiocarcinoma. Although tumor cell seeding along the catheter tract is a very rare complication, we think that PTBD should be avoided when curative resection is planned.