Percutaneous transhepatic dissolution of gallbladder stones.

The method of percutaneous transhepatic dissolution with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has been used at the Zagreb Clinical Hospital Department of Medicine since 1989. From December 1989 until December 1991, 69 patients, 51 (74%) females and 18 (26%) males, with symptomatic and cholesterol gallbladder stones were hospitalised at the Department. All patients preferred percutaneous transhepatic dissolution to surgical treatment of gallbladder stones. The gallbladder was successfully punctured and the catheter placed into the gallbladder lumen in 63 (91%) patients, whereas complete dissolution was achieved in 59 (85.5%) patients. In 21 (33.9%) of these 59 patients, after completed dissolution computer-processed roentgenograms and ultrasonic scan of the gallbladder revealed residual particles of debris sized up to 2 mm. Six patients in whom puncture, i.e. the placement of the catheter into the lumen was unsuccessful, were electively operated on the following day without any complications. The mean duration of hospitalisation for 63 patients was 4.5 days.