Experience with intrahepatic cholangiojejunostomy for unresectable carcinoma of the hepatic hilus.

An intrahepatic cholangiojejunostomy at segment III or segment IV (surgical bypass) was performed for 13 unresectable hepatic hilar carcinoma patients after reduction of jaundice. Compared with the result of external biliary drainage alone, the 30-day mortality rate was 1/13 in the surgical bypass group and 4/12 in the external biliary drainage group. The incidence of postoperative cholangitis in each group was 3/13, 6/17 and the mean survival rate was 155 days, 96 days. It was concluded that intrahepatic cholangiojejunostomy for unresectable hepatic hilar carcinoma, contributed to a temporary return to normal life, gave better results than external biliary drainage.