Retrospective Study of PTBD Outcomes

This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of National Cheng Kung University Hospital (IRB number: B-ER-110-392). The requirement of written informed consent was waived by the IRB due to the retrospective nature of the study. Patients who presented to National Cheng Kung University Hospital with obstructive jaundice between 2008 and 2020 were retrospectively screened. Inclusion criteria were age > 20 years and treatment with PTBD. Exclusion criteria were missing clinical information (e.g., demographic data, procedure time, duct diameter, indications for obstruction, presence of ascites, obstruction level, hepatic puncture site) and missing data regarding final treatment outcomes (PTBD success and bilirubin reduction) or complications. In this study, all PTBD procedures were conducted with placement of an around 8 Fr small pigtail drainage catheter and were performed by interventional radiologists with more than 10 years of experience in biliary intervention. Postoperative complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Bilirubin reduction was defined as normalization of bilirubin or a serum total bilirubin concentration of ≤3 mg/dl or decrease in bilirubin levels by ≥30% within 2 weeks of biliary drainage.