2181 Gallbladder Irrigation via Cholecystostomy Tube as a Novel Technique for Improving EUS-Guidance During Placement of Lumen-Apposing Metal Stent (LAMS) for Cholecystoduodenostomy

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Cholecystectomy is the preferred treatment of acute cholecystitis, but it may be relatively contraindicated in patients with medical comorbidities or advanced age. Non-surgical approaches include percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy tube and endosonographic stent placement. Adequate endosonographic imaging of the gallbladder is essential for correct stent deployment. CASE DESCRIPTION/METHODS: A 55-year-old male was admitted for endoscopic cholecystoduodenostomy for palliation of chronic cholecystitis. He had prior admissions for cholecystitis and choledocholithiasis with cholangitis with prior ERCPs requiring sphincterotomy, sphincteroplasty, stone removal and common bile duct stent placement. He was a poor candidate for cholecystectomy due to multiple medical comorbidities and chronic anticoagulation and was referred for endoscopic therapy. The patient was brought to the endoscopy suite and placed under general anesthesia. The Olympus linear echoendoscope was passed to the second portion of the duodenum. The gallbladder was collapsed due to prior patent sphincterotomy and sphincteroplasty. With IR assistance, the gallbladder was irrigated with normal saline boluses of to a volume of 600 mL. Due to the patent sphincterotomy, the gallbladder would collapse requiring additional irrigation. Maximal size of the gallbladder 30 mm in the long axis and 20 mm in the short axis. The duodenal wall and the gallbladder were punctured under endosonographic guidance using the hot AXIOS electrocautery-enhanced delivery system. A stoma was created and a 15 × 10 mm AXIOS stent was placed with flanges in close approximation to the gallbladder and duodenal wall through the cholecystoduodenostomy. The echoendoscope was then withdrawn. Next, a solution of normal saline and methylene blue was injected through the percutaneous cholecystostomy tube and this solution was seen to flow from the duodenal portion of the AXIOS stent on endoscopic views, confirming adequate location of the AXIOS stent in the gallbladder and duodenum. DISCUSSION: The patient did well in the immediate post-procedural period. Six days post-procedure, he was noted to have melena in the setting of supratherapeutic INR and aPTT. Repeat upper endoscopy showed no evidence of bleeding. The AXIOS stent appeared normal on endoscopic views. Due to the difficulty of stent placement and palliative intent, we left the AXIOS stent in situ. The patient is currently asymptomatic and was referred to IR for removal of percutaneous cholecystostomy tube.