Palliative treatment with metallic stents for unresectable gallbladder carcinoma involving the portal vein and bile duct.

ABSTRACT

We report a case of gallbladder carcinoma associated with biliary obstruction and portal vein stenosis caused by massive lymph node metastases. The patient, a 59-year-old woman, was treated with self-expandable metallic stents--a spiral Z-stent in the portal vein, and a Wallstent in the bile duct--and intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy. She returned to work immediately after leaving the hospital, and has been treated with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy once a week at our outpatient department. At present, she has good quality of life, with patency of both endoprostheses, 8 months after the placement of the metallic stents in the portal vein and the common bile duct. This case shows that portal vein and biliary stenting, together with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy, can be an effective modality for the palliative treatment of advanced gallbladder carcinoma involving the portal vein and bile duct, to improve quality of life.