Percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation as a therapeutic option for cholecystocholedocholithiasis in the era of laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Stone removal by percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation for cystic duct and bile duct stones after cholecystectomy and distal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy

A 71-year-old woman was referred to our department for abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with acute obstructive cholangitis due to cystic duct and bile duct stones after cholecystectomy and Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. Two years ago, the patient underwent endoscopic and laparoscopic treatment for cystic duct and bile duct stones, however, the stones remained. This time, she was treated with stone removal using percutaneous papillary balloon dilatation (PPBD). Large stones in the common hepatic and bile ducts were crushed by electrohydraulic lithotripsy and then pushed out into the duodenum through the dilated papilla of Vater using a balloon catheter covered with the sheath and cholangioscopy. Stone in the cystic duct was pulled to the common bile duct and pushed to the duodenum. Stone removal using PPBD is an excellent alternative for patients with cystic duct and bile duct stones unable to be treated with endoscopic or laparoscopic stone removal.

Percutaneous stone removal using cobra-shaped sheath and cholangioscopy for multiple hepatolithiasis with choledochoduodenal anastomotic stenosis

Management of multiple hepatolithiasis with choledochoenteral anastomotic stenosis remains difficult and time-consuming. We report a case of a 77-year-old man with severe right hypochondoralgia, treated with percutaneous transhepatic balloon dilatation of choledocoduodenal anastomotic stenosis and percutaneous stone removal using 8Fr. cobra-shaped sheath and cholangioscopy. Hilar hepatic stones were pushed out into the duodenum through the dilated anastomosis using 5Fr. balloon catheter covered with the sheath and cholangioscopy. For stones located in the left, right anterior and aberrant right posterior hepatic ducts, a guidewire and a removal balloon catheter were inserted by using the cobra-shaped sheath. Stones pulled from the intrahepatic bile ducts to the common hepatic duct were pushed out into the duodenum. Clearance of intrahepatic bile duct stones was confirmed by balloon-occluded cholangiography using the cobra-shaped sheath and 6Fr. balloon catheter. The use of cobra-shaped sheath improved percutaneous stone removal, but the procedure needs further improvement.

Safety and efficacy of percutaneous transhepatic balloon dilation in removing common bile duct stones: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) is widely regarded as the first choice in the management of common bile duct (CBD) stones. However, for some patients, this treatment is not possible. The percutaneous transhepatic balloon dilation (PTBD) technique has been suggested as an alternative but has yet to gain wide acceptance.

AIM

To review cases of PTBD for removing CBD stones and explore the safety and efficacy of this treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science for cases of PTBD that underwent CBD stone removal from 1981 to January 2019. We analyzed all relevant articles available in full text. We extracted data on patient’s age, gender, overall technique success rate, reasons for technique failure, and the presence and type of major and minor complications. We analyzed the data and reported the results in a table and text. Altogether, we retrieved 12 case series and 6 case reports, for a total of 1347 patients. Thirty cases were excluded due to a lack of patient data.

RESULTS

The overall technique success rate for removing a CBD stone was 98.5% (1327/1347) and 98.1% (109/111) for removing concurrent CBD and gallbladder stones. Based on available data (n = 1312), mean age of all patients (687 males and 625 females) was 68.9 years. The total number of procedures in the remaining 1317 patients (after exclusion) was 3237 (average 2.4 procedures per patient). The total number of failures for eliminating a CBD stone was 20, and the reasons for failure included: Stone impaction (n = 10), intrahepatic bile duct stricture (n = 5), large stone (n = 2), severe CBD dilation (n = 1), multiple stones (n = 1), and duodenal perforation (n = 1). Various major complications related to the procedure were reported, but the incidence rate was low (1.4%). No pancreatitis or procedure related mortality was reported. Minor complications including transient hyperamylasemia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, and mild hemobilia were reported. For 218 patients (88 patients with unsuccessful endoscopic removal due to anatomical change and large or impacted stone and 130 cases who refused endoscopic procedure due to poor general condition or other additional disease), the CBD stones were successfully pushed into the duodenum by performing the PTBD procedure.

CONCLUSION

PTBD is a safe and effective approach in the nonoperative management of CBD stones. PTBD provides an alternative treatment when endoscopic procedures fail or are unsuitable for the patient.

A decade of washing out common bile duct stones with papillary balloon dilatation as a one-stage procedure during laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for the management of cholecystolithiasis. For the management of choledocholithiasis, a number of options exist. The effectiveness of washing out common bile duct stones with laparoscopic transcystic papillary balloon dilatation (LTPBD) in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) as a one-stage procedure was evaluated.

METHODS

Retrospectively, the files of 63 patients treated with LTPBD in a one-stage procedure undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy between December 1996 and December 2006 were studied.

RESULTS

Fifty-three patients were treated successfully in a one-stage procedure, seven patients were treated in two steps with an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) postoperatively, and in three cases a conversion to open surgery was required. The median operation time was 128 min, and the median hospital stay was 4 days. No patients developed postoperative pancreatitis. In one case contrast leakage from the common bile duct was detected. It was the only complication directly related to the LTPBD. There were no postoperative deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

We consider the wash out of common bile duct stones after LTPBD in a one-stage procedure to be an easy to do and safe operation with great results. Cooperation with an intervention radiologist and application of an angioplastic dilatation dotter balloon catheter are the keys to success in this procedure. In our hospital, it is the treatment of choice for choledocholithiasis associated with cholelithiasis.