How Should Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Be Treated In Patients Starting Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Just After Implantation Of Drug-Eluting Coronary Stents?

Abstract

Patients who undergo drug-eluting coronary stent (DES) implantation require dual antiplatelet therapy for at least 6 months. When these patients require non-cardiac surgery, determination of the most appropriate antiplatelet therapy to minimize the risk of stent thrombosis and/or bleeding complications is always difficult. In particular, patients who have just undergone DES implantation have an extremely high risk of stent thrombosis, and delaying surgery is required to reduce the risk. We herein report the case of a male patient in whom hilar cholangiocarcinoma was detected just after implanting DES and who safely underwent curative resection for the hilar cholangiocarcinoma following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This case serves as an example of successful resolution of this challenging problem.