[Surgical silicone prostheses in the treatment of biliary tract cancers: long prostheses or short prostheses? Results apropos of 500 cases].

The interest of surgical prostheses in the palliative treatment of biliary tract cancer is well established, on the basis of their good tolerance, the more than 15 year follow up experience and the number of patients operated upon. After exeresis, they allow re-establishment of continuity, either by use of a prosthesis in Y when the right and let ducts can be dissected, or by using two prostheses, a multiperforated long prosthesis reimplanted in the duodenum and a short prosthesis reimplanted in the common bile duct without attaining the sphincter of Oddi. Of the 1000 cases treated, 500 were the object of a statistical analysis, 46 being operated upon by the author, in 60% of cases for biliary tract cancer, either primary or as an extension from the gallbladder. One-third of the patients had advanced lesions and a short survival of less than 3 months. Two-thirds a median survival of 9 months. In 10%, a radical exeresis was performed with survival of more than one year without recurrence of jaundice. Failure of treatment with persistence of jaundice was due to advanced disease for which surgery is unsatisfactory. Essential complications were premature bile leaks (5%) without serious consequences if sufficient drainage was maintained, since it stopped spontaneously, and angiocholitis (6%), the result of territory exclusion or reflux. Recurrence of jaundice was related to extension of the neoplasm to the secondary bile ducts, and to hepatic metastases. Obstruction of the prosthesis before two months was rare (6%) and was preceded by angiocholitis. In the absence of recurrence of the cancer the prosthesis can be replaced surgically without difficulty.