Insemination of bile duct carcinoma to the liver after insertion of percutaneous biliary endoprosthesis.

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is widely used to relieve bile duct obstruction which can be caused by bile duct or pancreas carcinomas. Although the incidence is low, insemination of carcinoma along the transhepatic catheter tract is considered to be a serious complication of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. The authors present a case of intrahepatic insemination of bile duct carcinoma along the catheter that subsequently underwent a curative resection consisting of pancreaticoduodenectomy and right hepatic lobectomy. It is suggested that a percutaneous biliary endoprosthesis through the tumor should be avoided in patients in whom a possible curative resection can be considered. External biliary drainage should only be performed in order to minimize the manipulation of the tumor in such patients.