Therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using an anterior oblique-viewing endoscope for bile duct stones in patients with prior Billroth II gastrectomy.
BACKGROUND
Prior Billroth II gastrectomy is an important factor presenting difficulties in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) administration. We retrospectively evaluated the usefulness and safety of therapeutic ERCP using an anterior oblique-viewing endoscope for bile duct stones in patients with prior Billroth II gastrectomy.


METHODS
Forty-three patients with bile duct stones after Billroth II gastrectomy who underwent ERCP from January 1998 to February 2008 were enrolled in this study. We used anterior oblique-viewing endoscopes for all procedures. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed using a needle knife guided by a biliary stent. A total of 808 patients without gastrectomy who had undergone ERCP for bile duct stones in the same period were reviewed as controls.


RESULTS
The success rate of access to the papilla of Vater was 88.4%, and the average time required for such access was 13 min. In cases of successful access, selective cannulation of the bile duct and complete stone removal were achieved in 94.7% and 94.6% of patients, respectively. The incidence of complications was 4.7%. As for the success rate of selective cannulation, complete stone removal ratio, and the incidence of complications, there were no significant differences compared with the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of an anterior oblique-viewing endoscope enables good success rates in selective cannulation and complete stone removal to be achieved in patients with prior Billroth II gastrectomy. The safety of therapeutic ERCP for removal of bile duct stones in those patients is comparable to that in patients with normal anatomy.
Nakahara
Kazunari
K
Department of Gastroenterology, Sendai City Medical Center, 5-22-1 Tsurugaya, Miyagino-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 983-0824, Japan.
Horaguchi
Jun
J
Fujita
Naotaka
N
Noda
Yutaka
Y
Kobayashi
Go
G
Ito
Kei
K
Obana
Takashi
T
Takasawa
Osamu
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014670:Ampulla of Vater / Q000601:surgery; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D020698:Duodenoscopes; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016717:Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic / Q000379:methods*