Outcome of post-liver transplant ischemic and nonischemic biliary stenoses treated with percutaneous interventions:...

In liver transplantation (LT), biliary strictures (BSs) are among the most common complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous treatments in the management of post-LT BSs. Between 1999 and 2007, 48 patients underwent percutaneous treatments for posttransplant BSs. We divided the population into 2 groups according to the cause [ischemic (n = 14) or nonischemic (n = 34)] and into further subgroups according to the site [anastomotic (n = 34) or nonanastomotic (n = 14)]. All patients were treated with bilioplasty; in 9 patients who were refractory to bilioplasty, metallic stents were implanted. A technical success rate of 90% was achieved without differences between the ischemic and nonischemic groups or between the anastomotic and nonanastomotic subgroups (P = 0.10). The major complication rate was 4%. The overall 1- and 3-year primary patency rates were 94% and 45%, respectively, and better results were found for patients with nonischemic stenoses versus patients with ischemic stenoses (P = 0.032). The overall secondary patency rates were 94% and 83% at 1 and 3 years, respectively, and there were no statistical differences between the ischemic and nonischemic groups or between the anastomotic and nonanastomotic groups. In the stent subgroup, the overall primary 1- and 2-year patency rates were 100% and 71%, respectively, and the secondary patency rates were 100% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, a percutaneous approach is highly effective for the treatment of post-LT BSs, and the best results are obtained for patients with simple, nonischemic BSs (technical success rate = 94%, 3-year primary patency rate = 81%, 3-year secondary patency rate = 75%). For patients with ischemic BSs, closer follow-up and retreatment are more frequently needed to achieve secondary patency rates comparable to (or even better than) those for patients with nonischemic stenoses.