Percutaneous transhepatic treatment for biliary stricture after duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis in living donor liver transplantation: a 9-year single-center experience.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate clinical outcomes of percutaneous transhepatic treatment for biliary stricture after duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). METHODS: This retrospective study examined baseline characteristics, procedural details, clinical outcomes, drainage catheter removal rate within 8 months, and recurrence after catheter removal using patients' medical records and images. Risk factors for failure of drainage catheter removal within 8 months and recurrence of biliary stricture after drainage catheter removal were assessed via univariable and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients (53.4 ± 8.79 years, 91 men) were evaluated. Multiple drainage catheters were placed in 75 patients (70.0%). Drainage catheters were successfully removed in 107 patients (95.5%). Failure of drainage catheter removal within 8 months was associated with hepatic artery complications (p = 0.034) and strictures requiring alternative passage techniques (p = 0.034). The cumulative primary patency rates after drainage catheter removal at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years were 85.4%, 79.8%, 75.8%, and 68.4%, respectively. Recurrence of biliary stricture was associated with the presence of an untreated isolated sectoral duct (aHR, 3.632; 95% CI, 1.086-12.150, p = 0.037) and with concurrent bile leaks (aHR, 2.475; 95% CI, 1.090-5.621, p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous transhepatic treatment was effective for the treatment of biliary strictures after duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis in LDLT. Multiple drainage catheter maintenance was needed because multiple strictures often occurred in these patients. KEY POINTS: • Percutaneous transhepatic treatments are useful and effective for the treatment of biliary stricture after duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), although an endoscopic approach is available for this type of reconstruction. • Multiple drainage catheters were frequently placed in these patients because of multiple complex strictures. • We found that recurrence after drainage catheter removal was associated with isolation of the sectoral duct and with concurrent bile leaks.