Feasibility and safety of a new dedicated biliary stent for EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy: The FIT study (with video)

Radial force and wire structure determine the onset of covered self-expandable metal stent migration in endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy: Measurement of sliding-resistance force using a porcine model

BACKGROUND

Self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) migration after endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) is a severe complication. The migration risk could be related to the surface friction of SEMS, assumed to be affected by the wire structure and mechanical properties, including radial force (RF); however, their relevance remains unclear. This experimental study aimed to assess the mechanical properties of SEMS involved in the onset of stent migration by measuring the sliding-resistance force (SF) as the SEMS moves through the stomach wall.

METHODS

The SF of seven types of 8-mm diameter SEMS (four braided and three laser-cut types) and porcine stomach wall was measured with a universal testing machine. The SF of each SEMS was measured three times, and the average maximum SF (SFmax) was used for analysis. The correlation between SFmax and RF of each SEMS was evaluated.

RESULTS

SFmax and RF showed a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.92). Compared to the regression line predictions in the scatter plots of SFmax and RF, the SFmax of laser-cut and braided type SEMSs had positive and negative residuals, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Selecting a laser-cut type SEMS with a higher RF may more effectively prevent the onset of stent migration against the stomach wall in EUS-HGS.

Is Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Hepaticogastrostomy Safe and Effective after Failed Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography?-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Objectives: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) has emerged as an alternative option for biliary drainage in cases of failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Limited data exist on the safety and efficacy of EUS-HGS. In this comprehensive meta-analysis, we aim to study the safety and efficacy of EUS-HGS in cases of failed conventional ERCP. Methods: Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched to include all studies that evaluated the efficacy and safety of EUS-HGS. Using the random effect model, the pooled weight-adjusted event rate estimate for clinical outcomes in each group were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The primary outcomes were technical and clinical success rates. Secondary outcomes included overall adverse events (AEs), rates of recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO), and rates or re-intervention. Results: Our analysis included 70 studies, with a total of 3527 patients. The pooled technical and clinical success rates for EUS-HGS were 98.1% ([95% CI, 97.5-98.7]; I2 = 40%) and 98.1% ([95% CI, 97.5-98.7]; I2 = 40%), respectively. The pooled incidence rate of AEs with EUS-HGS was 14.9% (95% CI, 12.7-17.1), with bile leakage being the most common (2.4% [95% CI, 1.7-3.2]). The pooled incidence of RBO was 15.8% [95% CI, 12.2-19.4], with a high success rate for re-intervention (97.5% [95% CI, 94.7-100]). Conclusions: Our analysis showed high technical and clinical success rates of EUS-HGS, making it a feasible and effective alternative to ERCP. The ongoing development of dedicated devices and techniques is expected to make EUS-HGS more accessible and safer for patients in need of biliary drainage.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Biliary Drainage (EUS-BD)

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage (BD) is a minimally invasive procedure that allows for biliary access when conventional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is unsuccessful. The technique can be divided based on biliary access route: intrahepatic or extrahepatic, as well as on stenting approach: rendezvous approach (EUS-RV), antegrade placement, or transluminal (intra or extra hepatic) placement. There is no clear consensus on which approach is superior. Compared to percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, EUS-BD offers lower rates of adverse events without the need for an external drain. Compared to conventional ERCP, EUS-BD shows comparable, and in some cases superior, outcomes related to technical success, clinical success, and adverse events.

Endoscopic Gallbladder Drainage: A Comprehensive Review on Indications, Techniques, and Future Perspectives

In recent years, therapeutic endoscopy has become a fundamental tool in the management of gallbladder diseases in light of its minimal invasiveness, high clinical efficacy, and good safety profile. Both endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage (TGBD) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) provide effective internal drainage in patients with acute cholecystitis unfit for cholecystectomy, avoiding the drawbacks of external percutaneous gallbladder drainage (PGBD). The availability of dedicated lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) for EUS-guided transluminal interventions contributed to the expansion of endoscopic therapies for acute cholecystitis, making endoscopic gallbladder drainage easier, faster, and hence more widely available. Moreover, EUS-GBD with LAMS opened the possibility of several cholecystoscopy-guided interventions, such as gallstone lithotripsy and clearance. Finally, EUS-GBD has also been proposed as a rescue drainage modality in malignant biliary obstruction after failure of standard techniques, with encouraging results. In this review, we will describe the TBGD and EUS-GBD techniques, and we will discuss the available data on clinical efficacy in different settings in comparison with PGBD. Finally, we will comment on the future perspectives of EUS-GBD, discussing the areas of uncertainty in which new data are more strongly awaited.

Complications and management of interventional endoscopic ultrasound: A critical review

In the last decades, Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has rapidly grown and evolved from being mainly a diagnostic procedure, to being an interventional and therapeutic tool in several pathological clinical scenarios. With the progressive growth in technical expertise and dedicated devices, interventional endoscopic ultrasound procedures (IEUSP) have shown high rates of technical and clinical success, together with a relatively safe profile. However, the description and the standardization of different and specific types of adverse events (AEs) are still scarce in literature, and, consequently, even less the management of AEs. The aim of this study is to critical review and to describe AEs related to each of the main IEUSP, and to provide an overview on the possible management strategies of endoscopic complications. Future studies and guidelines are surely required to reach a better standardization of different AEs and their best management.

Endoscopic Biliary Drainage in Surgically Altered Anatomy

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is considered the preferred method for managing biliary obstructions. However, the prevalence of surgically modified anatomies often poses challenges, making the standard side-viewing duodenoscope unable to reach the papilla in most cases. The increasing instances of surgically altered anatomies (SAAs) result from higher rates of bariatric procedures and surgical interventions for pancreatic malignancies. Conventional ERCP with a side-viewing endoscope remains effective when there is continuity between the stomach and duodenum. Nonetheless, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) or surgery has historically been used as an alternative for biliary drainage in malignant or benign conditions. The evolving landscape has seen various endoscopic approaches tailored to anatomical variations. Innovative methodologies such as cap-assisted forward-viewing endoscopy and enteroscopy have enabled the performance of ERCP. Despite their utilization, procedural complexities, prolonged durations, and accessibility challenges have emerged. As a result, there is a growing interest in novel enteroscopy and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) techniques to ensure the overall success of endoscopic biliary drainage. Notably, EUS has revolutionized this domain, particularly through several techniques detailed in the review. The rendezvous approach has been pivotal in this field. The antegrade approach, involving biliary tree puncturing, allows for the validation and treatment of strictures in an antegrade fashion. The EUS-transmural approach involves connecting a tract of the biliary system with the GI tract lumen. Moreover, the EUS-directed transgastric ERCP (EDGE) procedure, combining EUS and ERCP, presents a promising solution after gastric bypass. These advancements hold promise for expanding the horizons of comprehensive and successful biliary drainage interventions, laying the groundwork for further advancements in endoscopic procedures.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Biliary Drainage

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) are currently first- and second-line therapeutic options, respectively, for the relief of biliary obstruction. In recent years, however, endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) has become an established alternative therapy for biliary obstruction. There are multiple different techniques for EUS-BD, which can be distinguished based on the access point within the biliary tree (intrahepatic versus extrahepatic) and the location of stent placement (transenteric versus transpapillary). The clinical and technical success rates of biliary drainage for EUS-BD are similar to both ERCP and PTBD, and complication rates are favorable for EUS-BD relative to PTBD. As EUS-BD becomes more widely practiced and endoscopic tools continue to advance, the outcomes will likely improve, and the breadth of indications for EUS-BD will continue to expand.