How traditional Chinese medicine can prevent recurrence of common bile duct stones after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography?

Common bile duct stones, as a type of cholelithiasis, are a benign biliary obstruction that easily acute abdominalgia, and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is usually the first choice for clinical treatment. However, the increasing recurrence rate of patients after treatment is troubling clinicians and patients. For the prevention of recurrence after ERCP, there is no guideline to provide a clear drug regimen, traditional Chinese medicine however has achieved some result in the treatment of liver-related diseases based on the "gut-liver-bile acid axis". On the basis of this, this article discusses the possibility of traditional Chinese medicine to prevent common bile duct stones (CBDS) after ERCP, and we expect that this article will provide new ideas for the prevention of recurrence of CBDS and for the treatment of cholelithiasis-related diseases with traditional Chinese medicine in future clinical and scientific research.

Predictors of Failed Transcystic Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration: Analysis of Multicenter Integrated Health System Database.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to report our experience with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) and validate the experts' opinion about anatomical predictors of failed transcystic LCBDE (TLCBDE) approach. METHODS: Patients undergoing LCBDE at Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals (2005-2015) were included. Predictors of failed TLCBDE were identified using bivariate analysis. RESULTS: Of 115 LCBDE, 89.6% were TLCBDE and 10.4% through choledochotomy. Success rate, morbidity, and length of hospital stay were 83.5%, 6.1%, and 3.8 days respectively. Only stone size:cystic duct ratio >1 (35% versus 63%, P = .044) was associated with failure of TLCBDE. In accordance with experts' opinion, there was a suggestive association of stone size ≥6 mm, cystic duct ≤4 mm, multiple stones, and proximal stone location with failure; however, these did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: LCBDE is an effective and safe mean of clearing common bile duct stones at community hospitals of an integrated health system. Previously cited contraindications for TLCBDE are not absolute, but rather predictors of failure.

Anisodamine accelerates spontaneous passage of single symptomatic bile duct stones ≤ 10 mm.

AIM: To investigate the rate of spontaneous passage of single and symptomatic common bile duct (CBD) stones ≤ 10 mm in diameter in 4 wk with or without a 2-wk course of anisodamine. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken. A total of 197 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Ninety-seven patients were assigned randomly to the control group and the other 100 to the anisodamine group. The anisodamine group received intravenous infusions of anisodamine (10 mg every 8 h) for 2 wk. The control group received the same volume of 0.9% isotonic saline for 2 wk. Patients underwent imaging studies and liver-function tests every week for 4 wk. The rate of spontaneous passage of CBD stones was analyzed. RESULTS: The rate of spontaneous passage of CBD stones was significantly higher in the anisodamine group than that in the control group (47.0% vs 22.7%). Most (87.2%, 41/47) stone passages in the anisodamine group occurred in the first 2 wk, and passages in the control group occurred at a comparable rate each week. Factors significantly increasing the possibility of spontaneous passage by univariate logistic regression analyses were stone diameter (< 5 mm vs ≥ 5 mm and ≤ 10 mm) and anisodamine therapy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that these two factors were significantly associated with spontaneous passage. CONCLUSION: Two weeks of anisodamine administration can safely accelerate spontaneous passage of single and symptomatic CBD stones ≤ 10 mm in diameter, especially for stones < 5 mm.