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As laparoscopic cholecystectomy becomes more prevalent, the unexpected finding of common duct stones by operative cholangiography presents a therapeutic dilemma for the surgeon. We present our current techniques for laparoscopic cholangiography and management of choledocholithiasis, including the use of angioplasty balloons for ampullary dilation.

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Background: To quantify rates and risk factors for toxicity after hepatic radioembolization using resin yttrium-90 microspheres.Methods: Radiation-Emitting SIR-Spheres in Non-resectable liver tumor (RESIN) registry enrollees were reviewed with 614 patients included. Mean patient age was 63.1±12.5 years. The majority of patients were male (n=375, 61%) and white (n=490, 80%). Common tumor types were hepatocellular (n=197, 32%), colorectal (n=187, 30%) and neuroendocrine (n=56, 9%). Hepatotoxicity was measured using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v 5). Potential risk factors for hepatotoxicity were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis or Pearson Chi-squared tests, and multivariate linear regressions.Results: At 6 months, 115 patients (18.7%) died (n=91, 14.8%), entered hospice (n=20, 3.3%) or sought treatment elsewhere (n=4, 4%). Seven (1.1%) deaths were from liver decompensation. Grade 3 toxicity rates were: bilirubin (n=85, 13.8%), albumin (n=28, 4.6%), ALT (n=26, 4.2%) and AST (n=37, 6.0%). For each of these liver function test components, baseline abnormal labs predicted Grade 3 toxicity at followup by Kruskal-Wallis test (P<0.001) and linear regression (all P<0.03). Other significant factors predicting toxicity at regression included elevated Body-Mass Index (albumin P=0.0056), whole liver treatment (bilirubin P=0.046), and lower tumor volume (ALT and INR, P<0.035 for both).Conclusions: Baseline liver function abnormalities prior to radioembolization is the strongest predictor of post-treatment Grade 3 toxicity with rates as high as 13.8%. Toxicity rates for specific lab values are affected by large volume treatments especially with low tumor volumes.

Patients with unresectable hepatic metastases from melanoma present a difficult clinical challenge due to lack of locoregional control and poor response to systemic chemotherapy. This study aims to examine the early outcomes of the novel treatment of unresectable hepatic metastases from melanoma with drug-eluting beads loaded with doxorubicin (DEBDOX) delivered via image guided transarterial chemoembolization. A multicenter prospective open registry of hepatic-directed therapy with drug-eluting beads was reviewed. Six patients underwent 12 DEBDOX treatments for liver-predominant, unresectable metastases from melanoma. Six adverse events (grade 1 or 2) were exhibited in three patients and were most commonly emesis, nausea, and pain. Over a median follow-up of 12 months (range: 6-17), response rates of 100 per cent, 83 per cent, and 60 per cent were observed at 3, 6, and 9 months respectively, based on standardized computed tomographic criteria. A median survival of 12.3 months after initial DEBDOX treatment was observed. Initial results for liver-directed therapy of hepatic-dominant metastatic disease from melanoma with DEBDOX demonstrate that this is a safe and well-tolerated treatment option with favorable response rates and survival characteristics at this point in follow-up. Salvage therapy with DEBDOX should be considered in the multidisciplinary therapy for this clinical dilemma.