Outcomes of Salvage Percutaneous Biliary Drainage after Occlusion of Endoscopic Stents

Purpose

To describe outcomes of patients with malignant biliary obstruction who undergo salvage percutaneous biliary drainage after occlusion of endoscopic biliary stents.

Materials and Methods

A single-center retrospective review was performed of 47 patients (25 men, 22 women) who underwent percutaneous biliary drainage for recurrent obstruction after endoscopic stent placement between 2005 and 2015. Primary malignancies were bile duct (n = 13), colorectal (n = 11), gallbladder (n = 7), pancreas (n = 5), hepatocellular (n = 4), and other (n = 7). Indication for salvage drain placement was infection (n = 19) and jaundice or need to decrease bilirubin (n = 28). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods were used for survival analysis. Logistic and multivariate regressions were employed to identify factors associated with survival.

Results

Median survival after salvage biliary drain placement was 1.8 months (95% confidence interval CI], 1.3–2.7). Elevated international normalized ratio (INR) ≥ 1.5 before drainage was associated with poorer survival after drainage (median survival 0.7 months vs 2.4 months, P < .01). Median survival was shorter in 28 patients (64%) with bilirubin ≤ 2 mg/dL (34.2 µmol/L) after drainage (1.2 months vs 5.4 months, P < .001). Left-sided drain placement, elevated bilirubin, and elevated INR correlated with decreased likelihood of achieving bilirubin ≤ 2 mg/dL (34.2 µmol/L) (odds ratio OR] 0.13, 95% CI, 0.02–0.71, P = .02; OR 0.18, 95% CI, 0.05–0.69, P = .01; OR 0.10, 95% CI, 0.01–0.90, P = .04).

Conclusions

Survival is limited for most patients who undergo salvage percutaneous biliary drainage. Elevated bilirubin and INR before drainage portend a poor prognosis.