Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation for common bile duct stones

Abstract

Objective To study the clinical efficacy and safety of endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) in the treatment of common bile duct (CBD) stones. Methods This retrospective study of EPLBD for CBD stoneswas conducted between May 2015 and March 2017 on 116 patients.The patients were divided into two groups based on the different methods of treatment: group A (the EPLBD group) and B(the EST+ EPBD group). Results Treatment with EPLBD when compared with EST+ EPBD produced similar outcomes with regard to the overall stone removal rates (96.2% vs. 93.5%, P>0.05) and complete ductal clearance in one session (92.6% vs. 92%, P>0.05). There were no significant differences in the rates of overall complication (22.2% vs. 22.2%, P>0.05), hemorrhage (7.4% vs. 11.3%, P>0.05), post-ERCP pancreatitis (9.3% vs. 6.6%, P>0.05) and acute cholangitis (5.6% vs. 8.1%, P>0.05). When compared with EST+ EPBD, mechanical lithotripsy was performed less in the EPLBD group (16.6% vs. 27.4%, P<0.05). Conclusions EPLBD was an effective and safe method to treat CBD stones. EPLBD reduced the use of mechanical lithotripsy when compared with EST+ EPBD. Key words: Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilatation (EPLBD); Endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation (EPBD); Common bile duct stone; Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP); Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST)