Management of suspected common bile duct stone: diagnostic yield of current guidelines

Endoscopic ultrasound avoids diagnostic ERCP among the ASGE high-risk group - Experience in an Asian population

BACKGROUND

A prediction system for common bile duct (CBD) stones was originally published by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) in 2010 and was last revised in 2019. We wanted to investigate its application in an Asian population, who have different etiologies of bile duct stone formation and accessibility to medical service compared to the West.

METHODS

This is a single center retrospective study. Patients who received endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for suspected CBD stones were collected from our endoscopic record system over a 10-year period. The accuracy of the revised ASGE criteria was estimated according to the results of EUS. A minimum follow-up of 6 months was required to detect false negative results.

RESULTS

142 patients were enrolled, 87 (61%) patients had CBD stones. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of the revised ASGE criteria for high-risk patients were 69%, 38%, 64%, 44%, and 57%. 36% of the ASGE-defined high-risk patients negative for CBD stones on EUS. The two significant predictors for CBD stone were CBD dilatation (adjusted OR 3.06, 95% C.I. 1.31-7.17, p = 0.010) and ascending cholangitis (adjusted OR 2.28, 95% C.I. 1.01-5.15, p = 0.047).

CONCLUSION

ASGE recommends that patients defined as high-risk for choledocholithiasis be considered for direct ERCP without prior need for confirmation imaging. However, our findings indicate a high rate (36%) of patients in that group negative for CBD stones on EUS. Hence, EUS is still be suggested first in selective high-risk patients so that diagnostic ERCP can be avoided in our Asian society.

Optimal dilation duration of 10 mm diameter balloons after limited endoscopic sphincterotomy for common bile duct stones: a randomized controlled trial

Limited endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) combined with endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) is widely used. However, the optimal duration of small balloon dilation in choledocholithiasis remains controversial. We aimed to determine the optimal duration for 10 mm diameter balloon dilation after limited EST in choledocholithiasis. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 320 patients were randomly assigned to receive small balloon dilation (10 mm in diameter) for 1 min (n = 160) or 3 min (n = 160) after deep bile duct cannulation. No significant difference in success rate of stone extraction between the two groups was observed. The incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) was higher in the 1 min group (10.6%) than in the 3 min group (4.4%) (P = 0.034). The logistic regression analysis showed that guidewire into the pancreatic duct, cannulation time > 5 min and 1 min balloon dilation were independent risk factors for PEP. There were no significant differences in other post-ERCP adverse events such as acute cholangitis, bleeding, perforation, etc. between the two groups. In conclusion, 3 min in duration was determined to be the optimal dilation condition for the removal of common bile duct stones.

Obstructive lithiasis of the lower bile duct discovered four decades after cholecystectomy and its management by ideal choledochotomy: a case report

BACKGROUND

Residual lithiasis is the presence of stones in the common bile duct, ignored after one or more biliary interventions. We report an atypical case of chronic symptomatic lithiasis of the lower bile duct occurring 41 years after biliary surgery, managed successfully by ideal choledochotomy.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 68-year-old Black African female with several past laparotomies including a cholecystectomy forty-one years ago presented with hepatic colic-type pain that had been intermittent for several years but worsened recently. Her clinical, biological, and imaging test assessments were suggestive of a residual obstructive lithiasis of the lower common bile duct. Through an open right subcostal laparotomy approach, a dilated bile duct of approximately 3 cm was found and managed by transverse choledochotomy in which the stone was extracted in retrograde manner. After confirmation of disobstruction, a primitive bile duct suture without biliary drainage was performed and a tubular drain was positioned under the liver. The postoperative course was uneventful at follow-up of 30 days.

CONCLUSION

Residual choledocholithiasis can be avoided. We performed an ideal choledochotomy, of which the follow-up was simple.

Multiple Field-of-View Based Attention Driven Network for Weakly Supervised Common Bile Duct Stone Detection

OBJECTIVE

Common bile duct (CBD) stones caused diseases are life-threatening. Because CBD stones locate in the distal part of the CBD and have relatively small sizes, detecting CBD stones from CT scans is a challenging issue in the medical domain.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

We propose a deep learning based weakly-supervised method called multiple field-of-view based attention driven network (MFADNet) to detect CBD stones from CT scans based on image-level labels. Three dominant modules including a multiple field-of-view encoder, an attention driven decoder and a classification network are collaborated in the network. The encoder learns the feature of multi-scale contextual information while the decoder with the classification network is applied to locate the CBD stones based on spatial-channel attentions. To drive the learning of the whole network in a weakly-supervised and end-to-end trainable manner, four losses including the foreground loss, background loss, consistency loss and classification loss are proposed.

RESULTS

Compared with state-of-the-art weakly-supervised methods in the experiments, the proposed method can accurately classify and locate CBD stones based on the quantitative and qualitative results.

CONCLUSION

We propose a novel multiple field-of-view based attention driven network for a new medical application of CBD stone detection from CT scans while only image-levels are required to reduce the burdens of labeling and help physicians automatically diagnose CBD stones. The source code is available at https://github.com/nchucvml/MFADNet after acceptance.

CLINICAL IMPACT

Our deep learning method can help physicians localize relatively small CBD stones for effectively diagnosing CBD stone caused diseases.

Efficacy of intraoperative cholangiography versus preoperative magnetic resonance cholangiography in patients with intermediate risk for common bile duct stones

BACKGROUND

This is the first randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in patients with suspected CBDS.

METHODS

This unblinded, multicenter RCT was conducted at five swiss hospitals. Eligibility criteria were suspected CBDS. Patients were randomized to IOC and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) if needed, or MRCP followed by ERCP if needed, and LC. Primary outcome was length of stay (LOS), secondary outcomes were cost, stone detection, and complication rates.

RESULTS

122 Patients were randomised to the IOC Group (63) or the MRCP group (59). Median LOS for the IOC and the MRCP groups were 4 days IQR [3, 6] and [4, 6], with an estimated increase of LOS of 1.2 days in the MRCP group (p = 0.0799) in the linear model. Median cost in the IOC and MRCP groups were 10 473 Swiss Francs (CHF) and 10 801 CHF, respectively (p = 0.694). CBDS were found in 24 and 12 patients in the IOC and the MRCP groups, respectively (p = 0.0387). The complication rate did not differ between both groups.

CONCLUSION

There is equipoise between both pathways. IOC has a significantly higher diagnostic yield than MRCP.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02351492: Radiological Investigation of Bile Duct Obstruction (RIBO).

Development of a Predictive Model for Common Bile Duct Stones in Patients With Clinical Suspicion of Choledocholithiasis: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Current choledocholithiasis guidelines heavily focus on patients with low or no risk, they may be inappropriate for populations with high rates of choledocholithiasis. We aimed to develop a predictive scoring model for choledocholithiasis in patients with relevant clinical manifestations.

METHODS

A multivariable predictive model development study based on a retrospective cohort of patients with clinical suspicion of choledocholithiasis was used in this study. The setting was a 700-bed public tertiary hospital. Participants were patients who had completed three reference tests (endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and intraoperative cholangiography) from January 2019 to June 2021. The model was developed using logistic regression analysis. Predictor selection was conducted using a backward stepwise approach. Three risk groups were considered. Model performance was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration, classification measures, and decision curve analyses.

RESULTS

Six hundred twenty-one patients were included; the choledocholithiasis prevalence was 59.9%. The predictors were age > 55 years, pancreatitis, cholangitis, cirrhosis, alkaline phosphatase level of 125 - 250 or > 250 U/L, total bilirubin level > 4 mg/dL, common bile duct size > 6 mm, and common bile duct stone detection. Pancreatitis and cirrhosis each had a negative score. The sum of scores was -4.5 to 28.5. Patients were categorized into three risk groups: low-intermediate (score ≤ 5), intermediate (score 5.5 - 14.5), and high (score ≥ 15). Positive likelihood ratios were 0.16 and 3.47 in the low-intermediate and high-risk groups, respectively. The model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.76, 0.83) and was well-calibrated; it exhibited better statistical suitability to the high-prevalence population, compared to current guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

Our scoring model had good predictive ability for choledocholithiasis in patients with relevant clinical manifestations. Consideration of other factors is necessary for clinical application, particularly regarding the availability of expert physicians and specialized equipment.

Test Performance Characteristics of Dynamic Liver Enzyme Trends in the Prediction of Choledocholithiasis

(1) Background: Various methods to predict the presence or absence of choledocholithiasis (CDL) have been proposed. We aimed to assess the performance characteristics of dynamic liver enzyme trends in the prediction of CDL. (2) Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. All adult in-patients undergoing endoscopy for suspected CDL between 1 January 2012 and 7 October 2018 were identified, with patients with prior cholecystectomy, prior sphincterotomy, or indwelling biliary prostheses were excluded. Available laboratory parameters within 72 h preceding the procedure were recorded, allowing for the assessment of trends. Dynamic enzyme trends were defined as any increase or decrease by 30% and 50% within 72 h of the index procedure. (3) Results: A total of 878 patients were included. Mean age was 61.8 years, with 58.6% female. Increases in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of at least 30% or 50% were both specific for the presence of CDL, with specificities of 82.7% (95% CI 69.7–91.8%) and 88.5% (95% CI 76.6–95.6%), respectively. Decreases in bilirubin or ALP of at least 50% were highly specific for the absence of CDL, with specificities of 91.7% (95% CI 85.7–95.8%) and 100.0% (97.2–100.0%), respectively. (4) Conclusions: Several liver enzyme trends appear to be specific for the absence or presence of stones; in particular, significant decreases in total bilirubin or ALP of at least 30–50% over the prior 72 h appear to be especially predictive of an absence of intraductal findings during endoscopy.

Evaluation of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2019 and the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guidelines' performances for choledocholithiasis prediction in clinically suspected patients: A retrospective cohort study

Background and Aim

The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) have published guidelines for choledocholithiasis. However, the guidelines were formulated using data from a large number of patients with no to low risk of common bile duct (CBD) stones. This study aimed to assess the guidelines' predictive performance in a population with a high frequency of stones.

Methods

Data for three choledocholithiasis standard reference tests were retrospectively reviewed from January 2019 to June 2021. Clinical parameters were used to categorize patients into risk groups according to the guidelines, and then the guidelines' predictive abilities were calculated.

Results

Among 1185 patients, 521 were included. The stone prevalence was 61.0% (n = 318). Twelve (2.3%), 146 (28.0%), and 363 (69.7%) patients were classified into low‐, intermediate‐, and high‐risk groups according to the ASGE guidelines, and 30 (5.8%), 149 (28.6%), and 342 (65.6%) according to the ESGE guidelines. Focusing on the high‐risk group, the ASGE guidelines had a positive predictive value of 73.6 and a positive likelihood ratio of 1.78. The ESGE guidelines had a positive predictive value of 73.7 and positive likelihood ratio of 1.79. Both guidelines had equivalent areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65–0.73) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.64–0.72), respectively.

Conclusion

In the high‐risk group, the guidelines increased the chance of detecting choledocholithiasis by approximately 10% (61.0% prevalence to 73.6 and 73.7% positive predictive value). However, statistically, the guidelines had marginal discriminative performance in a population with high stone prevalence.

Compliance to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography according to current guidelines and adverse outcomes of suspected choledocholithiasis in an acute care setting

INTRODUCTION

Common bile duct (CBD) stones are common among patients who underwent cholecystectomy. However, few studies have investigated the compliance with the guidelines for the prediction of choledochlithiasis (CL). Therefore, we aim to study the compliance with the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) guidelines for the identification of CL in a major hospital in Saudi Arabia's capital.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective chart review on adult patients admitted to emergency department at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh with gallstones between January 2016 and January 2019. Our data collection includes demographics and level of suspicion based on Transabdominal Ultrasound, liver function, amylase, and lipase tests. We then determined the likelihood of CL based on ASGE guidelines in order to assess the adherence to ASGE guidelines, the procedure's outcomes and adverse outcomes.

RESULTS

We identified 826 patients who met the study's criteria: 384 (46.4%) were compliant, while 442 (53.6%) were non-compliant with ASGE guidelines. There was a significant association between compliance and the presence of stones on ERCP in high likelihood patients. 48 (21.3%) of total ERCP procedures among all the likelihoods had adverse outcomes. 13 (40.6%) of non-compliant ERCP performed in intermediate likelihood have experienced adverse outcomes. There was a significant association between having adverse outcomes and being non-complaint with ASGE guidelines.

CONCLUSION

Despite ASGE guidelines' recommendations, a third of high likelihood cases and the majority of intermediate likelihood cases were non-compliant. Additionally, the current guidelines for the intermediate group are somewhat vague, giving ample leeway for patients to be placed in the intermediate group, which might subject them to unnecessary interventions. To conclude, there was a great lack of compliance with ASGE guidelines that is significantly associated with adverse outcomes. Hence, reassessing the current guidelines and monitoring healthcare facilities' compliance with the updated guidelines is highly recommended.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the 2010 ASGE non-invasive predictors of choledocholithiasis and comparison to the 2019 ASGE predictors

In 2019, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) guideline on the endoscopic management of choledocholithiasis modified the individual predictors of choledocholithiasis proposed in the widely referenced 2010 guideline to improve predictive performance. Nevertheless, the primary literature, especially for the 2019 iteration, is limited. We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to examine the diagnostic performance of the 2010, and where possible the 2019, predictors. PROSPERO protocol CRD42020194226. A comprehensive literature search from 2001 to 2020 was performed to identify studies on the diagnostic performance of any of the 2010 and 2019 ASGE choledocholithiasis predictors. Identified studies underwent keyword screening, abstract review, and full-text review. The primary outcomes included multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for each criterion. Secondary outcomes were reported sensitivities, specificities, and positive and negative predictive value. A total of 20 studies met inclusion criteria. Based on reported ORs, of the 2010 guideline “very strong” predictors, ultrasound with stone had the strongest performance. Of the “strong” predictors, CBD > 6 mm demonstrated the strongest performance. “Moderate” predictors had inconsistent and/or weak performance; moreover, all studies reported gallstone pancreatitis as non-predictive of choledocholithiasis. Only one study examined the new predictor (bilirubin > 4 mg/dL and CBD > 6 mm) proposed in the 2019 guideline. Based on this review, aside from CBD stone on ultrasound, there is discordance between the proposed strength of 2010 choledocholithiasis predictors and their published diagnostic performance. The 2019 guideline appears to do away with the weakest 2010 predictors.

Evaluating the Revised American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Guidelines for Common Bile Duct Stone Diagnosis

Background/Aims

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) revised its guidelines for risk stratification of patients with suspected choledocholithiasis. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of the revision and to compare it to the previous guidelines.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 267 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis. We identified high-risk patients according to the original and revised guidelines and examined the diagnostic accuracy of both guidelines. We measured the association between individual criteria and choledocholithiasis.

Results

Under the original guidelines, 165 (62%) patients met the criteria for high risk, of whom 79% had confirmed choledocholithiasis. The categorization had a sensitivity and specificity of 68% and 55%, respectively, for the detection of choledocholithiasis. Under the revised guidelines, 86 (32%) patients met the criteria for high risk, of whom 83% had choledocholithiasis. The revised categorization had a lower sensitivity and higher specificity of 37% and 80%, respectively. The positive predictive value of the high-risk categorization increased with the revision, reflecting a potential decrease in diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograpies (ERCPs). Stone visualized on imaging had the greatest specificity for choledocholithiasis. Gallstone pancreatitis was not associated with the risk for choledocholithiasis.

Conclusions

The 2019 revision of the ASGE guidelines decreases the utilization of ERCP as a diagnostic modality and offers an improved risk stratification tool.

The Challenges of Implementing Artificial Intelligence into Surgical Practice

BACKGROUND

Artificial intelligence is touted as the future of medicine. Classical algorithms for the detection of common bile duct stones (CBD) have had poor clinical uptake due to low accuracy. This study explores the challenges of developing and implementing a machine-learning model for the prediction of CBD stones in patients presenting with acute biliary disease (ABD).

METHODS

All patients presenting acutely to Christchurch Hospital over a two-year period with ABD were retrospectively identified. Clinical data points including lab test results, demographics and ethnicity were recorded. Several statistical techniques were utilised to develop a machine-learning model. Issues with data collection, quality, interpretation and barriers to implementation were identified and highlighted.

RESULTS

Issues with patient identification, coding accuracy, and implementation were encountered. In total, 1315 patients met inclusion criteria. Incorrect international classification of disease 10 (ICD-10) coding was noted in 36% (137/382) of patients recorded as having CBD stones. Patients with CBD stones were significantly older and had higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (p < 0.001). The no information rate was 81% (1070/1315 patients). The optimum model developed was the gradient boosted model with a PPV of 67%, NPV of 87%, sensitivity of 37% and a specificity of 96% for common bile duct stones.

CONCLUSION

This paper highlights the utility of machine learning in predicting CBD stones. Accuracy is limited by current data and issues do exist around both the ethics and practicality of implementation. Regardless, machine learning represents a promising new paradigm for surgical practice.

[Russian consensus on current issues in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive jaundice syndrome]

The Russian consensus document on topical issues of the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive jaundice syndrome was prepared by a group of experts in various fields of surgery, endoscopy, interventional radiology, radiological diagnosis and intensive care. The goal of this document is to clarify and consolidate the opinions of national experts on the following issues: timing of diagnosis of obstructive jaundice, features of diagnostic measures, the need and possibility of conservative measures for obstructive jaundice, and strategy of biliary decompression depending on the cause and level of biliary block.

Diagnostic performance of the current risk-stratified approach with computed tomography for suspected choledocholithiasis and its options when negative finding

BACKGROUND

Several studies evaluated the current guideline of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and reported only suboptimal accuracy. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of the ASGE guideline based on computed tomography (CT) and role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in patients with suspected choledocholithiasis but negative CT finding.

METHODS

Patients with suspected choledocholithiasis undergoing ERCP between January 2016 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent CT to detect choledocholithiasis. EUS or MRCP was performed when the CT scan showed negative findings. Patients were classified into the high and intermediate-risk groups, based on predictors from the ASGE criteria.

RESULTS

Of 583 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis, 340 (58.3%) had stones on ERCP (65.9% in the high-risk group and 40.6% in the intermediate-risk group). The accuracy of ASGE guideline for CT was 63.98% (79.12% sensitivity, 42.80% specificity) and 36.02% (20.88% sensitivity, 57.20% specificity) in the high-risk and intermediate-risk groups, respectively. In 103 patients in the high-risk group underwent both CT and US, the accuracy of CT was higher than that of US for detecting choledocholithiasis (78.64% vs. 53.40%), with a significant difference in area under the curve (AUC) (0.78 vs. 0.59, P < 0.001). Of 339 with negative CT finding, the accuracy of EUS was higher than that of MRCP (90.91% vs. 82.76%), but with no significant difference in AUC (0.91 vs. 0.83, P = 0.347).

CONCLUSIONS

CT-based ASGE guideline showed superior diagnostic performance than US for predicting choledocholithiasis. The diagnostic options, EUS or MRCP, with negative CT finding showed comparable performance. Therefore, the diagnostic modality should be selected based on availability, experience, cost, and contraindications.

Intraoperative cholangiography versus magnetic resonance cholangiography in patients with mild acute biliary pancreatitis: A prospective study in a second-level hospital

Cholecystectomy is the only definitive management of pancreatitis secondary to gallstone disease. Approximately 20% to 30% of patients with acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) will have persistent common bile duct (CBD) stones. Therefore, choosing a method for the early diagnosis of choledocholithiasis is essential to reduce waiting days for surgery and hospital stay in these patients.The aim of this study was to compare the use of magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) and intraoperative cholangiography (IOC), and its impact on the length of the hospital stay in patients with mild ABP and an intermediate probability of choledocholithiasis.We prospectively evaluated all patients diagnosed with mild ABP and an intermediate probability of choledocholithiasis at admission and 48 hours after, from June, 2017 to December, 2017. Study subjects were identified upon admission and were classified into 2 groups of patients according to their choledocholithiasis predictors; a MRC was performed in the group 1, and an IOC was done in group 2.In all, 47 patients were enrolled in the final analysis of this study. Hospital stay in group 1 (CMR) patients was 8.29 (±2.69) days compared with 6.43 (±2.57) days in the group 2 (IOC) (P = .007). Mean waiting days for cholecystectomy was 17.14 (±26.04) days for group 1 and 5 (±2.69) days for group 2.We suggest an IOC as the election method for the diagnosis of CBD stones in patients with mild ABP in medical centers similar to ours because it reduces waiting days for surgery and hospital stay compared to the MRC.