OBJECTIVE In this investigation we compared the diagnostic performance of unenhanced helical CT, oral contrast-enhanced CT cholangiography, and MR cholangiography for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Fifty-one patients referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiography of suspected biliary stones were studied with unenhanced helical CT, MR cholangiography, and helica...

PURPOSE There are risks of common bile duct (CBD) stones in acute cholecystitis, and there is a move among surgeons to identify choledocholithiasis before surgery. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography (MRCP) has the potential to accurately detect choledocholithiasis in patients with acute cholecystitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive values of MRCP and elevated bi...

BACKGROUND Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is an alternative to diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for investigating biliary obstruction. The use of MRCP, a non-invasive procedure, may prevent the use of unnecessary invasive procedures. The aim of the study was to compare the findings of MRCP with those of ERCP by the computation of accuracy stat...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) achieves high-resolution images of the bile duct and pancreas, while avoiding the risks of ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). It appears comparable to MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography), although its use is less widely disseminated. We aimed to summarize EUS test performance in suspected biliary disease with meta-...

Untreated biliary cholestasis such as in the case of choledocholithiasis with biliary obstruction can lead to inflammatory strictures, recurrent cholangitis, the formation of more stones and eventually secondary biliary cirrhosis. This can lead to a shortened life expectancy. We report a case of a 61 year old male from Somalia, who presented with recurrent painless jaundice. He had had similar ...

We present a novel minimally invasive technique, laparoscopy-assisted micropercutaneous choledocholithotripsy, for choledocholithiasis that cannot be treated with other endoscopic techniques. This technique includes standard laparoscopic exploration of the common bile duct, combined with an all-seeing needle and holmium laser lithotripsy. As is known, an all-seeing needle is used in micropercut...

BACKGROUND Although the ideal management of cholecysto-choledocholi-thiasis is controversial, the 2-stage approach [endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), sphincterotomy, and common bile duct (CBD) clearance followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy] remains the standard way of management worldwide. One-stage approach using the so-called laparoendoscopic rendezvous (LERV) techniq...

Obese and post-Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients are at increased risk of cholelithiasis and associated biliary disorders [1–3]. Because of the complicated postsurgical anatomy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) may be more difficult, requiring deep enteroscopy or laparoscopic assistance. We report a case of intentional disruption of the gastric remnant-excluded stoma...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) has been performed as an adjunct to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) during radiocontrast cholangiography (RC). Radiation exposure during RC poses a health risk to both patients and examiners. We evaluated the feasibility of IDUS without RC in various extrahepatic biliary diseases. METHODS IDUS was performed with the insertion of a...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with biliary sphincterotomy (BS) is the usual method for extracting common bile duct stones. However, following BS and by means of extraction balloons and Dormia baskets a complete bile duct clearance cannot be achieved in all cases. We present a study on the impact that hydrostatic balloon dilation of a previous BS (BSD) ...