The rendezvous technique involving insertion of a guidewire in a percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage tube for biliary access in a case of difficult biliary cannulation

Abstract Background Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) plays an important role in the treatment of elderly patients and/or patients in poor health with acute cholecystitis (AC). The primary aim of this study is to determine how these factors influence the clinical outcome of PTGBD. Moreover, we assessed the timing and results of subsequent cholecystectomies. Patients and Methods We retrospectively examined the results of 162 patients undergoing PTGBD between 2010 and 2020 (male–female ratio: 51.23% vs. 48.77%; mean age: 71.43 ± 13.22 years). Patient’s performance status and intervention outcomes were assessed with clinical success rates (CSR) and in-hospital mortality. The conversion rate (CR) of possible urgent or delayed, elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC) after PTGBD were analysed. Results PTGBD was the definitive treatment in 42.18% of patients, while it was a bridging therapy prior to cholecystectomy (CCY) for the other patients. CSR was 87.97%, it was only 64.29% in grade III AC. In 9.87% of the cases, urgent LC was necessary after PTGBD, and its conversion rate was approximately equal to that of elective LC (18.18 vs. 17.46%, respectively, p = 0.2217). Overall, the post-PTGBD in-hospital mortality was 11.72%, while the same figure was 0% for grade I AC, 7.41% for grade II and 40.91% for grade III. Based on logistic regression analyses, in-hospital mortality (OR 6.07; CI 1.79–20.56), clinical progression (OR 7.62; CI 2.64–22.05) and the need for emergency CCY (OR 14.75; CI 3.07–70.81) were mostly determined by AC severity grade. Conclusion PTGBD is an easy-to-perform intervention with promising clinical success rates in the treatment of acute cholecystitis. After PTGBD, the level of gallbladder inflammation played a decisive role in the course of AC. In a severe, grade III inflammation, we have to consider low CSR and high mortality.

Download Full-text

Biliary cannulation in endoscopic retrograde cholangiography: How to tackle the difficult papilla

Digestive Diseases ◽

10.1159/000515692 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mark op den Winkel ◽

Jörg Schirra ◽

Christian Schulz ◽

Enrico N. De Toni ◽

Christian J. Steib ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biliary Drainage ◽

Guide Wire ◽

A Priori ◽

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography ◽

Endoscopic Retrograde ◽

Biliary Cannulation ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Difficult Biliary Cannulation ◽

Needle Knife ◽

Transpancreatic Sphincterotomy

Background: In the setting of a naïve papilla, biliary cannulation is a key step in successfully performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC). Difficult biliary cannulation (DBC) is associated with an increased risk of post-ERCP-pancreatitis and failure of the whole procedure. Summary: Recommendations for biliary cannulation can be divided in (a) measures to reduce the likelihood of a difficult papilla-situation a priori and (b) rescue techniques in case the endoscopist is actually facing DBC. (a): careful inspection of the papillary anatomy and optimizing its accessibility by scope-positioning is fundamental. A sphincterotome in combination with a soft-tip hydrophilic guide-wire rather than a standard catheter with a standard guide-wire should be used. (b): The most important rescue techniques are needle-knife precut, double-guidewire technique and transpancreatic sphincterotomy. In few cases, anterograde techniques are needed. To this regard, the EUS-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) followed by rendezvous is increasingly used as an alternative to percutaneous-transhepatic biliary drainage. Key Messages: Biliary cannulation can be accomplished with alternative retrograde or less frequently by salvage-anterograde techniques, once conventional direct cannulation attempts have failed. Considering recent favorable data for the early use of transpancreatic sphincterotomy, an adopted version of the 2016 European-Society-for-Gastrointestinal-Endoscopy (ESGE)-algorithm on biliary cannulation is proposed.

Download Full-text

Transpancreatic biliary sphincterotomy versus double guidewire in difficult biliary cannulation: a randomized controlled trial

Endoscopy ◽

10.1055/a-1327-2025 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leena Kylänpää ◽

Vilja Koskensalo ◽

Arto Saarela ◽

Per Ejstrud ◽

Marianne Udd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Duct ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Good Alternative ◽

Endoscopic Retrograde ◽

Biliary Cannulation ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Biliary Sphincterotomy ◽

Difficult Biliary Cannulation ◽

Definition Of ◽

Randomized Method

Abstract Background Difficult biliary cannulation in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) increases the risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). The purpose of this prospective, randomized, multicenter study was to compare two advanced rescue methods, transpancreatic biliary sphincterotomy (TPBS) and a double-guidewire (DGW) technique, in difficult common bile duct (CBD) cannulation. Methods Patients with native papilla and planned CBD cannulation were recruited at eight Scandinavian hospitals. An experienced endoscopist attempted CBD cannulation with wire-guided cannulation. If the procedure fulfilled the definition of difficult cannulation and a guidewire entered the pancreatic duct, randomization to either TPBS or to DGW was performed. If the randomized method failed, any method available was performed. The primary end point was the frequency of PEP and the secondary end points included successful cannulation with the randomized method. Results In total, 1190 patients were recruited and 203 (17.1 %) were randomized according to the study protocol (TPBS 104 and DGW 99). PEP developed in 14/104 patients (13.5 %) in the TPBS group and 16/99 patients (16.2 %) in the DGW group (P = 0.69). No difference existed in PEP severity between the groups. The rate of successful deep biliary cannulation was significantly higher with TPBS (84.6 % [88/104]) than with DGW (69.7 % [69/99]; P = 0.01). Conclusions In difficult biliary cannulation, there was no difference in PEP rate between TPBS and DGW techniques. TPBS is a good alternative in cases of difficult cannulation when the guidewire is in the pancreatic duct.

Download Full-text