Electrohydraulic lithotripsy in 111 patients: a safe and effective therapy for difficult bile duct stones

Clearance of irretrievable bile duct and pancreatic duct stones by extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, using a transportable device: effectiveness and medium-term results

BACKGROUND AND GOALS

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) is an established treatment of irretrievable biliary and pancreatic stones, but the cost of the shockwave generators limits its widespread use. We revised data about the effectiveness of our treatment for refractory stones using a transportable shockwave generator.

STUDY

We retrospectively evaluated the short and medium-term outcomes of patients who underwent ESWL using a transportable electromagnetic shockwave generator between 1998 and 2003 at our unit, for the treatment of irretrievable bile duct or pancreatic duct stones. All patients received intravenous conscious sedation and antibiotic prophylaxis.

RESULTS

Complete stone clearance was achieved in 70/82 patients (85.4%), in 66 of the patients (94.2%) with 1 session of ESWL. Despite the insertion of a stent in the bile duct, 2 patients had moderate cholangitis, while they waited for the next ESWL session. We did not record any moderate-severe complication of ESWL, but 2 patients underwent surgery owing to perforation/bleeding during endoscopic removal of residual fragments. A symptomatic recurrence of stones was recorded in 10/69 (14.5%) patients, who had been previously cleared and whose follow-up data (median follow-up 29 mo; range 7 to 66) were available.

CONCLUSIONS

We obtained satisfactory stone clearance by using a transportable shockwave generator. Most patients required 1 session. Our experience confirmed the safety of the treatment, even though patients may experience cholangitis while awaiting definitive treatment. The use of a transportable ESWL generator may be a valuable option in centers, while ensuring a sufficient proficiency in biliary endoscopy.

Gallstone disease: Symptoms, diagnosis and endoscopic management of common bile duct stones

Bile duct stones (BDS) are often suspected on history and clinical examination alone but symptoms may be variable ranging from asymptomatic to complications such as biliary colic, pancreatitis, jaundice or cholangitis. The majority of BDS can be diagnosed by transabdominal ultrasound, computed tomography, endoscopic ultrasound or magnetic resonance cholangiography prior to endoscopic or laparoscopic removal. Approximately 90% of BDS can be removed following endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC)+sphincterotomy. Most of the remaining stones can be removed using mechanical lithotripsy. Patients with uncorrected coagulopathies may be treated with ERC+pneumatic dilatation of the sphincter of Oddi. Shockwave lithotripsy (intraductal and extracorporeal) and laser lithotripsy have also been used to fragment large bile duct stones prior to endoscopic removal. The role of medical therapy in treatment of BDS is currently uncertain. This review focuses on the clinical presentation, investigation and current management of BDS.