Changes in serum and bile tumor necrosis factor α before and after percutaneous transhepatic cholangio-drainage for obstructive jaundice

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and jaundice reduction by percutaneous transhepatic cholangio-drainage (PTCD) in patients with obstructive jaundice. Thirty patients who had undergone PTCD were divided into two groups : those with rapidly decreasing bilirubin (the fast group ; n=21) and those with slowly decreasing bilirubin (the slow group ; n=9) . We compared clinical features before PTCD between groups. We also compared serum and bile TNFα before and after PTCD in the fast group with those in the slow group. The rate of patients with recurrence of malignancy in other organs involved in the etiology of obstructive jaundice was significantly higher in the slow group than in the fast group. Before and after PTCD, serum and bile TNFa were significantly higher in the slow group than in the fast group. These results suggest that TNFα may play an important role in the protracted recovery from obstructive jaundice after PTCD.