Percutaneous Access of the Modified Hutson Loop for Retrograde Cholangiography, Endoscopy, and Biliary Interventions

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to present the institutional experience of performing endoscopy, cholangiography, and biliary interventions through the modified Hutson loop by interventional radiology. Materials and Methods: A total of 61 of 64 modified Hutson loop access procedures were successful. This single-center retrospective study included 61 successful procedures of biliary interventions using existing modified Hutson loops (surgically affixed subcutaneous jejunal limb adjacent to biliary anastomosis or anastomoses) for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes in 21 patients. Seventeen of 21 patients (81%) had undergone liver transplantation. Indications included biliary strictures (n = 18) and biliary leaks (n = 3). The clinical success and complications were evaluated. Results: There were 3 of 26 modified Hutson loop retrograde biliary intervention failures (12%) before introduction of endoscopy and no failures (0 of 38 [0%]) subsequently (P =.06). Endoscopy or cholangioscopy was performed in 19 procedures by interventional radiologists. Retrograde biliary interventions included diagnostic cholangiography (n = 26), cholangioplasty (n = 25), stent placement (n = 29), stent retrieval (n = 25), and biliary drainage catheter placement (n = 5). No procedure-related mortality occurred. There was 1 major complication (duodenal perforation) (1.6%) and 12 minor complications (19%). In the 9 patients undergoing therapeutic interventions for biliary strictures, there was a significant decrease in median alkaline phosphatase (288.5 to 174.5 U/L; P =.03). There was a trend toward decrease in median bilirubin levels (1.7 to 1 mg/dL; P =.06) at 1 month post-intervention. Conclusions: The modified Hutson loop provided interventional radiologists a safe and effective alternative access to manage biliary complications in patients with biliary-enteric anastomoses. Introduction of the endoscope in interventional radiology has improved the success rate of these procedures.