Endoscopic treatment of difficult choledocholithiasis
Belvedere, B.; Frattaroli, S.; Carbone, A.; Viceconte, G.
Il Giornale di Chirurgia 33(5): 191-193
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0391-9005 PMID: 22709458 Document Number: 658722
Common bile duct stones can be treated with normal endoscopic techniques. Where stones cannot be removed due to their size or number or due to stenosis of the common bile duct, a plastic stent can be inserted, enabling rapid drainage of bile. At the three-month check-up complete removal of the stones was found in 41 (85.4%) of the 48 patients with difficult choledocholithiasis. In the remaining 7 patients (14.6%), the stent in any case resulted in clinical improvement. A permanent stent was necessary in 4 patients, enabling safe drainage with no complications. The use of endoscopy for stent placement was effective in all our cases of difficult coledocholithiasis without any complications.