Transluminal intrahepatic bile duct stone removal using a novel spiral basket catheter via the endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy route (with video).

Recently, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage has been developed as an alternative biliary drainage technique for failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or inaccessible papilla. Among the various EUS-guided biliary drainage procedures, EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (HGS) can be performed in patients with surgically altered anatomy. More recently, various transluminal treatments have been described after EUS-HGS, such as antegrade stone removal. In patients with hepaticojejunostomy strictures, stone extraction into the intestine might be challenging even after performing hepaticojejunostomy stricture dilation using a balloon catheter. In such cases, transluminal stone removal is considered an alternative method. With transluminal stone removal, a small stone that escapes from the conventional basket or from a balloon catheter could migrate into the branch bile ducts. The novel spiral basket catheter available in Japan. The wires form a helix shape, wherein each wire is wound counterclockwise, and the winding pitch becomes gradually tighter from the proximal portion to the tip. As the winding pitch is smaller and the wires are in closer contact with the bile duct wall as compared with conventional basket catheter, small bile duct stones can be easily captured by simply pulling back the catheter while the basket is open. In addition, even during withdrawal inside the bile duct, a high retrieval performance is assured by the special design that maintains the opening width on the top end. Therefore, transluminal stone removal using this novel basket catheter might be clinically useful, although further prospective evaluation of a larger number of cases is needed.

Clinical evaluation of physician-controlled guidewire manipulation during endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (with video).

Background and study aims Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided hepaticogastrostomy (HGS) may be most complex because of the EUS-guided biliary drainage procedure and variations in the course of the intrahepatic bile duct compared with the common bile duct (CBD). Appropriate guidewire insertion is essential. Physician-controlled guidewire manipulation (PCGW) might improve technical success rates of bile duct cannulation. The present study aimed to determine the technical feasibility and safety of PCGW during EUS-HGS. Patients and methods A total of 122 consecutive patients who were scheduled to undergo EUS-HGS between October 2017 and April 2019 were prospectively registered. The primary endpoint was the technical success rate of guidewire insertion into the CBD or hepatic hilum. Guidewire insertion was considered to have failed if the HGS assistant failed to achieve manipulation. Results The intrahepatic bile duct was successfully punctured in 120 of 122 patients. During guidewire insertion by the HGS assistant, guidewire fracture was observed in one patient. The guidewire was successfully inserted into the biliary tract and manipulated by the HGS assistant in 96 patients. PCGW was thus attempted for the remaining 23 patients. The guidewire was inserted by PCGW in all 23 patients, improving the technical success rate for guidewire insertion from 80 % to 100 %. After tract dilation, we deployed covered metal stents and plastic stents in 117 and two patients, respectively. The overall technical success rate for EUS-HGS was 97.5 % (119/122). Adverse events comprising bile peritonitis or leakage developed in five patients. Conclusion PCGW might contribute to improving the success rate of EUS-HGS.