Early prediction of gallstone disease with a machine learning-based method from bioimpedance and laboratory data.

Gallstone disease (GD) is a common gastrointestinal disease. Although traditional diagnostic techniques, such as ultrasonography, CT, and MRI, detect gallstones, they have some limitations, including high cost and potential inaccuracies in certain populations. This study proposes a machine learning-based prediction model for gallstone disease using bioimpedance and laboratory data. A dataset of 319 samples, comprising161 gallstone patients and 158 healthy controls, was curated. The dataset comprised 38 attributes of the participants, including age, weight, height, blood test results, and bioimpedance data, and it contributed to the literature on gallstones as a new dataset. State-of-the-art machine learning techniques were performed on the dataset to detect gallstones. The experimental results showed that vitamin D, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, total body water, and lean mass are crucial features, and the gradient boosting technique achieved the highest accuracy (85.42%) in predicting gallstones. The proposed technique offers a viable alternative to conventional imaging techniques for early prediction of gallstone disease.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of single-operator cholangiopancreatoscopy with the SpyGlass™ system / Evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad de la colangiopancreatoscopia de un solo operador con el sistema SpyGlass®

Background and study aims The single-operator cholangiopancreatoscopy (SOCP) with the SpyGlass™ system is a endoscopy technique whose use has grown exponentially in recent years. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SOCP with SpyGlass™ and determine the factors related to the onset of adverse events (AEs). Patients and methods Retrospective study at a single tertiary institution with inclusion of all consecutive patients undergoing SOCP with SpyGlass™ from February-2009 to December-2021. No exclusion criteria were considered. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. The factors associated with the existence of AE were analyzed using Chi-square and Student's t-test. Results A total of 95 cases were included. The most common indications were biliary strictures (BS) evaluation (66.3%) or treatment of difficult common bile duct stones (27.4%). Technical and clinical success was attained in 98.9%. Single-session stone clearance was obtained in 84%. The AE rate was 7.4%. To detect malignancy in BS, optical diagnosis presents a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 91.2%, respectively; while histology results were 36.4% and 100% respectively. A previous endoscopic sphincterotomy was associated with a lower rate of AEs (2.4% vs 41.7%; p < 0.001). Conclusions SOCP with SpyGlass™ is a safe and effective technique to diagnose and treat pancreatobiliary pathology. The presence of sphincterotomy performed prior to the procedure could improve the technique's safety (AU)

Antecedentes y objetivos del estudio La colangiopancreatoscopia de un solo operador (SOCP) con el sistema SpyGlass® es una técnica endoscópica cuyo uso ha crecido exponencialmente durante los últimos años. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron evaluar la eficacia y seguridad de la SOPC con SpyGlass® y determinar los factores relacionados con la aparición de eventos adversos (EA). Pacientes y métodos Estudio retrospectivo realizado en un único centro terciario, con inclusión consecutiva de todos los pacientes sometidos a SOCP con SpyGlass® desde febrero de 2009 hasta diciembre de 2021. No hubo criterios de exclusión. Se realizó un análisis estadístico descriptivo. Los factores asociados a la aparición de EA se analizaron mediante χ2 y la prueba t de Student. Resultados Se incluyeron un total de 95 casos. Las indicaciones más frecuentes fueron la evaluación de estenosis biliares (EB) (66,3%) o el tratamiento de coledocolitiasis difícil (27,4%). El éxito técnico y clínico se logró en 98,9%. La extracción de todas las litiasis en una sola sesión se obtuvo en 84%. La tasa de EA fue de 7,4%. Para la detección de malignidad en EB, el diagnóstico óptico presenta una sensibilidad y especificidad de 100% y 91,2%, respectivamente; mientras que los resultados de la histología fueron 36,4 y 100%, respectivamente. La esfinterotomía endoscópica previa se asocia con una menor tasa de EA (2,4 vs. 41,7%; p < 0,001). Conclusiones La SOCP con SpyGlass® es una técnica segura y eficaz para diagnosticar y tratar la patología biliopancreática. La presencia de esfinterotomía previa al procedimiento podría mejorar la seguridad de la técnica (AU)

Clinical practice guideline on the use of single-operator cholangioscopy in the diagnosis of indeterminate biliary stricture and the treatment of difficult biliary stones.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC) offer a diagnostic and therapeutic alternative with an improved optical resolution over conventional techniques; however, there are no standardized clinical practice guidelines for this technology. This evidence-based guideline from the Colombian Association of Digestive Endoscopy (ACED) intends to support patients, clinicians, and others in decisions about using in adults the SOC compared to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), to diagnose indeterminate biliary stricture and to manage difficult biliary stones. METHODS: ACED created a multidisciplinary guideline panel balanced to minimize potential bias from conflicts of interest. Universidad de los Andes and the Colombia Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Network supported the guideline-development process, updating and performing systematic evidence reviews. The panel prioritized clinical questions and outcomes according to their importance for clinicians and patients. The GRADE approach was used, including GRADE Evidence-to-Decision frameworks. RESULTS: The panel agreed on one recommendation for adult patients with indeterminate biliary strictures and one for adult patients with difficult biliary stones when comparing SOC versus ERCP. CONCLUSION: For adult patients with indeterminate biliary strictures, the panel made a conditional recommendation for SOC with stricture pattern characterization over ERCP with brushing and/or biopsy for sensitivity, specificity, and procedure success rate outcomes. For the adult patients with difficult biliary stones the panel made conditional recommendation for SOC over ERCP with large-balloon dilation of papilla. Additional research is required on economic estimations of SOC and knowledge translation evaluations to implement SOC intervention in local contexts.

Clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of difficult biliary stones in a reference hospital in Colombia.

The local experience and the success rate of different available treatments for difficult biliary stones in Colombia are poorly described. We made an observational study reporting patients treated for difficult biliary stones, at Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogotá, Colombia between January 2015, and November 2021. Clinical characteristics, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) findings, and outcomes are presented. Additionally, the success rates of Endoscopic Sphincterotomy Plus Large Balloon Dilation (ESLBD), Mechanical Lithotripsy (ML), temporary stenting (TS), cholangioscopy-guided laser lithotripsy (CGLL), and surgery are described. A total of 146 patients were included (median age 69 years, IQR 58.5-78.5, 33.8% men). The median stone diameter was 15 mm (IQR 10 - 18 mm). One stone was presented in 39.9%, two stones in 18.2%, and ≥3 stones in the remaining stone. A 67.6% disproportion rate was observed between the stone and distal common bile duct. Successful stone extraction was achieved in 56.2% in the first procedure, 22.6% in the second, 17.1% in the third, 3.4% in the fourth, and 0.7% in the fifth procedures. The successful extraction rates were 56.8% for ESLBD, 75% for ML, 23.4% for TS, 57.7% for CGLL, and 100% for surgery. Endoscopic management of difficult stones is usually successful, although it usually requires 2 or more ERCPs procedures. The surgical requirements were low. ESLBD is an effective technique unlike TS. Few patients required advanced techniques such as ML or CGLL. Endoscopic procedures are associated with a low rate of complications.

Multiple Field-of-View Based Attention Driven Network for Weakly Supervised Common Bile Duct Stone Detection.

OBJECTIVE: Common bile duct (CBD) stones caused diseases are life-threatening. Because CBD stones locate in the distal part of the CBD and have relatively small sizes, detecting CBD stones from CT scans is a challenging issue in the medical domain. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We propose a deep learning based weakly-supervised method called multiple field-of-view based attention driven network (MFADNet) to detect CBD stones from CT scans based on image-level labels. Three dominant modules including a multiple field-of-view encoder, an attention driven decoder and a classification network are collaborated in the network. The encoder learns the feature of multi-scale contextual information while the decoder with the classification network is applied to locate the CBD stones based on spatial-channel attentions. To drive the learning of the whole network in a weakly-supervised and end-to-end trainable manner, four losses including the foreground loss, background loss, consistency loss and classification loss are proposed. RESULTS: Compared with state-of-the-art weakly-supervised methods in the experiments, the proposed method can accurately classify and locate CBD stones based on the quantitative and qualitative results. CONCLUSION: We propose a novel multiple field-of-view based attention driven network for a new medical application of CBD stone detection from CT scans while only image-levels are required to reduce the burdens of labeling and help physicians automatically diagnose CBD stones. The source code is available at https://github.com/nchucvml/MFADNet after acceptance. CLINICAL IMPACT: Our deep learning method can help physicians localize relatively small CBD stones for effectively diagnosing CBD stone caused diseases.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated gallstone disease: expecting more from critical care manifestations.

About 20% of adults worldwide have gallstones which are solid conglomerates in the biliary tree made of cholesterol monohydrate crystals, mucin, calcium bilirubinate, and protein aggregates. About 20% of gallstone patients will definitively develop gallstone disease, a condition which consists of gallstone-related symptoms and/or complications requiring medical therapy, endoscopic procedures, and/or cholecystectomy. Gallstones represent one of the most prevalent digestive disorders in Western countries and patients with gallstone disease are one of the largest categories admitted to European hospitals. About 80% of gallstones in Western countries are made of cholesterol due to disturbed cholesterol homeostasis which involves the liver, the gallbladder and the intestine on a genetic background. The incidence of cholesterol gallstones is dramatically increasing in parallel with the global epidemic of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, expansion of visceral adiposity, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. In this context, gallstones can be largely considered a metabolic dysfunction-associated gallstone disease, a condition prone to specific and systemic preventive measures. In this review we discuss the key pathogenic and clinical aspects of gallstones, as the main clinical consequences of metabolic dysfunction-associated disease.

Diseases of the Gallbladder and Biliary Tree.

Diseases of the gallbladder include a spectrum of gallstone diseases (cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis, and cholangitis), cysts, polyps, and malignancy. In this review, we present the incidence, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of these various conditions. Importantly, we report when more urgent referral is indicated, as well as red flags that warrant further intervention and/or management.

Endoscopic therapy for Bouveret syndrome, illustrated by a case report.

Bouveret syndrome is an exceptionally rare form of gallstone ileus secondary to a bilioenteric fistula, through which a voluminous gallstone can migrate into the pylorus or duodenum, thereby causing gastric outlet obstruction. In order to increase awareness, we reviewed the clinical features, diagnostic tools and management options for this uncommon entity. We specifically focus on endoscopic therapeutic options, illustrated by a case of a 73 year old woman with Bouveret syndrome, where endoscopic electrohydraulic lithotripsy was successful in relieving gastroduodenal obstruction.

Diagnostic accuracy of updated risk assessment criteria and development of novel computational prediction models for patients with suspected choledocholithiasis.

BACKGROUND: There are risks of choledocholithiasis in symptomatic gallstones, and some surgeons have proposed the identification of choledocholithiasis before cholecystectomy. Our goal was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the latest guidelines and create computational prediction models for the accurate prediction of choledocholithiasis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed symptomatic gallstone patients hospitalized with suspected choledocholithiasis. The diagnostic performance of 2019 and 2010 guidelines of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and 2019 guideline of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) in different risks. Lastly, we developed novel prediction models based on the preoperative predictors. RESULTS: A total of 1199 patients were identified and 681 (56.8%) had concurrent choledocholithiasis and were included in the analysis. The specificity of the 2019 ASGE, 2010 ASGE, and 2019 ESGE high-risk criteria was 85.91%, 72.2%, and 88.42%, respectively, and their positive predictive values were 85.5%, 77.4%, and 87.3%, respectively. For Mid-risk patients who followed 2019 ASGE about 61.8% of them did not have CBD stones in our study. On the choice of surgical procedure, laparoscopic cholecystectomy + laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration can be considered the optimal treatment choice for cholecysto-choledocholithiasis instead of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP). We build seven machine learning models and an AI diagnosis prediction model (ModelArts). The area under the receiver operating curve of the machine learning models was from 0.77 to 0.81. ModelArts AI model showed predictive accuracy of 0.97, recall of 0.97, precision of 0.971, and F1 score of 0.97, surpassing any other available methods. CONCLUSION: The 2019 ASGE guideline and 2019 ESGE guideline have demonstrated higher specificity and positive predictive value for high-risk criteria compared to the 2010 ASGE guideline. The excellent diagnostic performance of the new artificial intelligence prediction model may make it a better choice than traditional guidelines for managing patients with suspected choledocholithiasis in future.

[Management of acute cholecystitis]. / Prise en charge de la cholécystite aiguë.

Acute cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gallbladder most often related to gallstones. The diagnostic and severity criteria are well described by the Tokyo criteria. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy remains the treatment of choice. It can also be performed in elderly patients and in pregnant women during any trimester. For patients not eligible for surgery, percutaneous or echo-endoscopic gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) are effective treatment alternatives. The management of acute cholecystitis must therefore be adapted to each patient by carefully evaluating the risks and benefits associated with surgery.

La cholécystite aiguë est une inflammation de la vésicule biliaire le plus souvent liée à des calculs biliaires. Les critères diagnostiques et de sévérité sont bien décrits par les critères de Tokyo. La cholécystectomie laparoscopique précoce reste le traitement de choix. Elle peut être également réalisée chez les patients âgés et chez les femmes enceintes pendant n'importe quel trimestre. Pour les patients non éligibles à la chirurgie, les drainages de la vésicule biliaire par voie percutanée ou échoendoscopique (EUS-GBD) sont des alternatives thérapeutiques efficaces. La prise en charge de la cholécystite aiguë doit donc être adaptée à chaque patient en évaluant de façon attentive les risques et bénéfices associés à la chirurgie.

A mixed-methods study to define Textbook Outcome for the treatment of patients with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease with hospital variation analyses in Dutch trial data.

BACKGROUND: International consensus on the ideal outcome for treatment of uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease is absent. This mixed-method study defined a Textbook Outcome (TO) for this large group of patients. METHODS: First, expert meetings were organised with stakeholders to design the survey and identify possible outcomes. To reach consensus, results from expert meetings were converted in a survey for clinicians and for patients. During the final expert meeting, clinicians and patients discussed survey outcomes and a definitive TO was formulated. Subsequently, TO-rate and hospital variation were analysed in Dutch hospital data from patients with uncomplicated gallstone disease. RESULTS: First expert meetings returned 32 outcomes. Outcomes were distributed in a survey among 830 clinicians from 81 countries and 645 Dutch patients. Consensus-based TO was defined as no more biliary colic, no biliary and surgical complications, and the absence or reduction of abdominal pain. Analysis of individual patient data showed that TO was achieved in 64.2% (1002/1561). Adjusted-TO rates showed modest variation between hospitals (56.6-74.9%). CONCLUSION: TO for treatment of uncomplicated gallstone disease was defined as no more biliary colic, no biliary and surgical complications, and absence or reduction of abdominal pain.TO may optimise consistent outcome reporting in care and guidelines for treating uncomplicated gallstone disease.

Obstrução duodenal por cálculo - síndrome de bouveret: um relato de caso / Duodenal obstruction by calculus - bouveret syndrome: a case report

Introdução: A Síndrome de Bouveret é uma complicação rara, causada por um cálculo biliar grande que obstrui o intestino por meio de uma fístula e tem como principais sintomas: náuseas, vômitos, dor abdominal e distensão. O diagnóstico é feito por meio de exames de imagem, o tratamento é desafiador e pode envolver cirurgia ou procedimentos endoscópicos. Tem morbimortalidade considerável, mas a falta de diretrizes padrão dificulta o diagnóstico e o tratamento. Objetivos: Apresentar um relato de caso de paciente com características fisiopatológicas e diagnóstico de Síndrome de Bouveret, discutir a sintomatologia clínica, diagnóstico, tratamento e o desfecho cirúrgico. Método: Relato de caso realizado por revisão de prontuário e exames de paciente com síndrome de Bouveret. Apresentação: Feminina, 62 anos, quadro clínico compatível com obstrução duodenal. Tomografia de abdômen: imagem ectópica radiopaca, distensão hidroaérea intestinal, sugerindo cálculo biliar, confirmada através de endoscopia digestiva alta. Submetida a gastrotomia, seguida de gastrorrafia, sem reparo da fístula colecistogástrica. Discussão: Síndrome de Bouveret é mais comum em idosos e mulheres com antecedentes de cálculos biliares grandes. O diagnóstico é feito por meio de exames de imagem, geralmente por tomografia computadorizada e o tratamento visa remover o cálculo e aliviar a obstrução intestinal de maneira menos invasiva possível. Por alto risco cirúrgico, o tratamento endoscópico por meio de métodos como retirada com cesta ou litotripsia é indicado, porém, requer múltiplos procedimentos e possui limitações. A abordagem cirúrgica pode ser realizada em um ou dois tempos, dependendo das condições do paciente. Conclusão: Exames de imagens aliados à clínica são essenciais para o diagnóstico e tratamento com gastrostomia e o reparo de fistula em dois tempos se mostra uma ótima opção

Introduction: Bouveret syndrome is a rare complication, caused by a large gallstone that obstructs the intestine through a fistula and has as main symptoms: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and distension. The diagnosis is made through imaging tests, the treatment is challenging and may involve surgery or endoscopic procedures. It has considerable morbidity and mortality, but the lack of standard guidelines makes diagnosis and treatment difficult. Objectives: To present a case report of a patient with pathophysiological characteristics and diagnosis of Bouveret syndrome, to discuss the clinical symptomatology, diagnosis, treatment and surgical outcome. Method: Case report performed by review of medical records and examinations of patients with Bouveret syndrome. Presentation: Female, 62 years old, clinical picture compatible with duodenal obstruction. Abdominal CT scan: radiopaque ectopic image, intestinal hydrorespiratory distension, suggesting gallstone, confirmed by upper digestive endoscopy. Submitted to gastrotomy, followed by gastrorraphy, without repair of the cholecystogastric fistula. Discussion: Bouveret syndrome is more common in the elderly and women with a history of large gallstones. The diagnosis is made through imaging tests, usually by computed tomography and the treatment aims to remove the stone and relieve intestinal obstruction in the least invasive way possible. Due to high surgical risk, endoscopic treatment through methods such as basket removal or lithotripsy is indicated, however, it requires multiple procedures and has limitations. The surgical approach can be performed in one or two times, depending on the patient's conditions. Conclusion: Imaging exams combined with the clinic are essential for diagnosis and treatment with gastrostomy and two-stage fistula repair is a great option

Introducción: El Síndrome de Bouveret es una complicación rara, causada por un gran cálculo biliar que obstruye el intestino a través de una fístula y tiene como síntomas principales: náuseas, vómitos, dolor abdominal y distensión. El diagnóstico se realiza a través de pruebas de imagen, el tratamiento es desafiante y puede involucrar cirugía o procedimientos endoscópicos. Tiene una morbilidad y mortalidad considerables, pero la falta de pautas estándar dificulta el diagnóstico y el tratamiento. Objetivos: Presentar un reporte de caso de un paciente con características fisiopatológicas y diagnóstico de Síndrome de Bouveret, discutir la sintomatología clínica, diagnóstico, tratamiento y resultado quirúrgico. Método: Reporte de caso realizado mediante revisión de historias clínicas y exámenes de un paciente con síndrome de Bouveret. Presentación: Mujer, 62 años, cuadro clínico compatible con obstrucción duodenal. Tomografía de abdomen: imagen ectópica radiopaca, distensión intestinal hidroaérea, sugestiva de cálculos biliares, confirmada por endoscopia digestiva alta. Sometido a gastrotomía, seguida de gastrorrafia, sin reparación de la fístula colecistogástrica. Discusión: El síndrome de Bouveret es más común en ancianos y mujeres con antecedentes de cálculos biliares grandes. El diagnóstico se realiza mediante pruebas de imagen, generalmente por tomografía computarizada, y el tratamiento tiene como objetivo eliminar el cálculo y aliviar la obstrucción intestinal de la forma menos invasiva posible. Debido al alto riesgo quirúrgico, está indicado el tratamiento endoscópico mediante métodos como la extracción con canastilla o la litotricia, sin embargo, requiere múltiples procedimientos y tiene limitaciones. El abordaje quirúrgico se puede realizar en una o dos etapas, dependiendo de las condiciones del paciente. Conclusión: Los exámenes de imagen combinados con la clínica son fundamentales para el diagnóstico y tratamiento con gastrostomía y la reparación de fístulas en dos tiempos demuestra ser una gran opción.

[Acute cholangitis secondary to periampullary duodenal diverticulum. Case report]. / Colangitis aguda severa secundaria a divertículo duodenal periampular. Reporte de un caso.

Background: Periampullary duodenal diverticula are rare and pancreaticobiliary complications infrequent, however, when they are diagnosed and associated with symptoms, they warrant urgent intervention. The aim of this article is to present a clinical case of severe cholangitis secondary to the presence of a periampullary diverticulum successfully treated endoscopically. Clinical case: A 68-year-old man with a history of diabetes and hypertension, was admitted to the emergency room with symptoms of abdominal pain, fever, and tachycardia. With acute kidney injury and alterations in liver function tests, ultrasound with dilated common bile duct and gallstones. Magnetic resonance cholangiography is performed, showing duodenal diverticulum and choledocholithiasis. Antibiotic management is given, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is decided, finding a duodenal diverticulum with stones and pus inside, sphincterotomy, transpapillary dilation and multiple sweeps are performed. Cholecystectomy was performed 7 days later, and the patient was discharged without complications. Conclusions: In patients with signs of severe cholangitis, it is important not to delay endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, even when infrequent associated pathologies are evidenced, such as a periampullary duodenal diverticulum, since this represents the diagnostic and therapeutic method of choice with high rates of resolution in the case of an obstructive pathology of the bile duct.

Introducción: los divertículos duodenales periampulares son raros y las complicaciones pancreaticobiliares infrecuentes; sin embargo, cuando se diagnostican y se asocian a sintomatología ameritan intervención urgente. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un caso clínico de colangitis severa secundaria a la presencia de un divertículo periampular tratado de manera exitosa por vía endoscópica. Caso clínico: hombre de 68 años con antecedentes de diabetes e hipertensión, quien acude al área de Urgencias con cuadro de dolor abdominal, fiebre y taquicardia. Se identifica lesión renal aguda y alteraciones en las pruebas de función hepática, ultrasonido con colédoco dilatado y litiasis vesicular. Se realiza colangioresonancia magnética que evidencia divertículo duodenal y coledocolitiasis. Se otorga manejo antibiótico y se decide colangiopancreatografía retrógrada endoscópica, encontrándose divertículo duodenal con litos y pus en su interior, se realiza esfinterotomía, dilatación transpapilar y múltiples barridos. Se realiza colecistectomía a los siete días y se egresa a domicilio por mejoría sin complicaciones. Conclusiones: en pacientes con datos de colangitis grave es importante no retrasar la colangiopancreatografia retrógrada endoscópica, aun cuando se evidencien patologías asociadas infrecuentes como un divertículo duodenal periampular, ya que esta representa el método diagnóstico y terapéutico de elección con tasas altas de resolución ante una patología obstructiva de la vía biliar.

[Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of Gallstones].

Gallstones are relatively common in the general population, and the clinical presentation is asymptomatic in most patients or has a benign course, such as biliary colic or vague gastrointestinal symptoms. On the other hand, it sometimes causes life-threatening complications, such as cholecystitis and pancreatitis. Asymptomatic gallstones do not require specific treatment, but a cholecystectomy may be necessary if the patient has a high risk of complications or gallbladder cancer. Abdominal ultrasonography is the most useful diagnostic tool for gallstones, which shows high sensitivity and specificity. In addition, endoscopic ultrasonography may be helpful when typical symptoms of gallstones are present, but gallstones are not identified with abdominal ultrasonography. Abdominal CT, MRCP, or ERCP help identify complications or other accompanying diseases caused by gallstones. Oral bile acid dissolution therapy can be attempted by administering ursodeoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid if gallstones are confirmed, but the related symptoms are mild or atypical, and the patient is unable/unwilling to undergo a cholecystectomy. A high success rate can be achieved when the treatment candidate is appropriately selected. The disadvantages of oral bile acid dissolution therapy are that there are few appropriate candidates, long-term treatment is required, and the gallstone frequently recurs when the treatment is discontinued.

Colonic gallstone ileus: a systematic literature review with a diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm.

Rare complication of gallstone disease is gallstone ileus. The common location is the small intestine, followed by the stomach. The rarest location is colonic gallstone ileus (CGI). To summarize and define the most appropriate diagnostic methods and therapeutic options for CGI based on the paucity of published data. Literature searches of English-, German-, Spanish-, Italian-, Japanese-, Dutch- and Portuguese language articles included and Italian-language articles using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Additional studies were identified from the references of retrieved studies. 113 cases of CGI were recorded with a male to female patient ratio of 1:2.9. The average patient age was 77.7 years (range 45-95 years). The usual location of stone impaction was the sigmoid colon (85.8%), followed by a descending colon (6.6%), transverse colon (4.7%), rectum (1.9%), and lastly, ascending colon (0.9%). Gallstones ranged from 2 to 10 cm. The duration of symptoms was variable (1 day to 2 months), with commonly reported abdominal distension, obstipation, and vomiting; 85.2% of patients had previous biliary symptoms. Diverticular disease was present in 81.8% of patients. During the last 23 years, CT scan was the most common imaging method (91.5%), confirming the ectopic gallstone in 86.7% of cases, pneumobilia in 65.3%, and cholecytocolonic fistula in 68%. The treatment option included laparotomy with cololithotomy and primary closure (24.7%), laparotomy and cololithotomy with diverting stoma (14.2%), colonic resection with anastomosis (7.9%), colonic resection with a colostomy (12.4%), laparoscopy with cololithotomy with primary closure (2.6%), laparoscopy with cololithotomy with a colostomy (0.9%), colostomy without gallstone extraction (5.3%), endoscopic mechanical lithotripsy (success rate 41.1%), extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (1.8%). The cholecystectomy rate was 46.7%; during the initial procedure 25%, and as a separate procedure, 21.7%; 53.3% of patients had no cholecystectomy. The survival rate was 87%. CGI is the rarest presentation of gallstone ileus, mainly in women over 70 years of age, with gallstones over 2 cm, and predominantly in the sigmoid colon. Abdominal CT is diagnostic. Nonoperative treatment, particularly in subacute presentations, should be the first-line treatment. Laparotomy with cololithotomy or colonic resection is a standard procedure with favorable outcomes. There are no robust data on whether primary or delayed cholecystectomy is mandatory as a part of CGI management.

Predictive value of bile acids as metabolite biomarkers for gallstones: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Plenty of studies have focused on the bile acids profile in gallstones. The objective of our systematic review is to provide a comprehensive summary about bile acids profiles in gallstones and analyzes the difference between gallstones and control group in diverse samples, determining the characteristic bile acids as the metabolite biomarkers for predicting gallstone. METHODS: EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Information Resource Integration Service Platform (CQVIP), and China Biology Medicine Disc (SinoMed) will be searched with the keywords of gallstones and metabolomics. The screening process will be performed strictly according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The CONSORT checklist and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) will assess the risk of bias for randomized controlled trials and observational studies, respectively. The qualitative review will be conducted to summarize the bile acids profile in gallstones. The concentrations of bile acids in both case group and control group will be the primary outcomes to perform the meta-analyses. EXPECTED RESULTS: Our systematic review will find the characteristic bile acids as the candidate metabolite biomarkers which equipped potential value to predict gallstones. CONCLUSION: Expanding the current knowledge on the physiopathology of gallstones and identifying novel predictive biomarkers can help to facilitate the detection and management of gallstones. Consequently, we expect this protocol to be a reasonable method to filtrate candidate differential bile acids which have potential value to predict gallstones. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022339649.

Bile duct penetrating duodenal wall sign: a novel computed tomography finding of common bile duct stone impaction into duodenal major papilla.

PURPOSE: Impacted common bile duct stones cause severe acute cholangitis. However, the early and accurate diagnosis, especially iso-attenuating stone impaction, is still challenging. Therefore, we proposed and validated the bile duct penetrating duodenal wall sign (BPDS), which shows the common bile duct penetrating the duodenal wall on coronal reformatted computed tomography (CT), as a novel sign of stone impaction. METHODS: Patients who underwent urgent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for acute cholangitis due to common bile duct stones were retrospectively enrolled. Stone impaction was defined by endoscopic findings as a reference standard. Two abdominal radiologists blinded to clinical information interpreted CT images to record the presence of the BPDS. The diagnostic accuracy of the BPDS to diagnose stone impaction was analyzed. Clinical data related to the severity of acute cholangitis were compared between patients with and without the BPDS. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients (mean age 70.6 years; 18 female) were enrolled. The BPDS was observed in 15 patients. Stone impaction occurred in 13/40 (32.5%) cases. Overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 34/40 (85.0%), 11/13 (84.6%), and 23/27 (85.2%), respectively; 14/16 (87.5%), 5/6 (83.3%), and 9/10 (90.0%) for iso-attenuating stones; and 20/24 (83.3%), 6/7 (85.7%), and 14/17 (82.4%) for high-attenuating stones. Interobserver agreement of the BPDS was substantial (κ = 0.68). In addition, the BPDS was significantly correlated with the number of factors in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (P = 0.03) and total bilirubin (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The BPDS was a unique CT imaging finding to identify common bile duct stone impaction regardless of stone attenuation with high accuracy.

Quality of Information in Gallstone Disease Videos on TikTok: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: TikTok was an important channel for consumers to access and adopt health information. But the quality of health content in TikTok remains underinvestigated. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to identify upload sources, contents, and feature information of gallstone disease videos on TikTok and further evaluated the factors related to video quality. METHODS: We investigated the first 100 gallstone-related videos on TikTok and analyzed these videos' upload sources, content, and characteristics. The quality of videos was evaluated using quantitative scoring tools such as DISCERN instrument, the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, and Global Quality Scores (GQS). Moreover, the correlation between video quality and video characteristics, including duration, likes, comments, and shares, was further investigated. RESULTS: According to video sources, 81% of the videos were posted by doctors. Furthermore, disease knowledge was the most dominant video content, accounting for 56% of all the videos. The mean DISCERN, JAMA, and GQS scores of all 100 videos are 39.61 (SD 11.36), 2.00 (SD 0.40), and 2.76 (SD 0.95), respectively. According to DISCERN and GQS, gallstone-related videos' quality score on TikTok is not high, mainly at fair (43/100, 43%,) and moderate (46/100, 46%). The total DISCERN scores of doctors were significantly higher than that of individuals and news agencies, surgery techniques were significantly higher than lifestyle and news, and disease knowledge was significantly higher than news, respectively. DISCERN scores and video duration were positively correlated. Negative correlations were found between DISCERN scores and likes and shares of videos. In GQS analysis, no significant differences were found between groups based on different sources or different contents. JAMA was excluded in the video quality and correlation analysis due to a lack of discrimination and inability to evaluate the video quality accurately. CONCLUSIONS: Although the videos of gallstones on TikTok are mainly provided by doctors and contain disease knowledge, they are of low quality. We found a positive correlation between video duration and video quality. High-quality videos received low attention, and popular videos were of low quality. Medical information on TikTok is currently not rigorous enough to guide patients to make accurate judgments. TikTok was not an appropriate source of knowledge to educate patients due to the low quality and reliability of the information.

Comparison of the cystocholedochal angle in patients with choledocholithiasis and only cholelithiasis.

This study aims to evaluate the relation between the cystocholedochal angle (SCA) and choledocholithiasis. The data of 3.350 patients were reviewed retrospectively and a total of 628 patients who met the criteria were included in the study. The patients included in the study were divided into three groups as patients with choledocholithiasis (Group I), patients with only cholelithiasis (Group II), and patients without gallstones as control group (Group III). Measurements of SCA, cystic, bile, and common hepatic ducts (CHDs) were made on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) images. Laboratory findings and demographic characteristics of the patients were also recorded. Of the patients included in the study 64.2% were female, 35.8% were male, and their age ranged from 18 to 93 (mean 53.37 ± 18.87 years). While the mean SCA values of all patient groups were 35.44° ± 10.44°, the mean length of cystic, bile and CHDs were 28.91 ± 9.30, 40.28 ± 12.91, 27.09 ± 9.68 mm respectively. All measurements were higher in Group I in comparison to other groups, whereas all measurements of Group II were higher than those of Group III (p < 0.001). Statistical analysis suggests that a SCA of 33.5° and above is an important criterion for diagnosis of choledocholithiasis. Increase of SCA raises the likelihood of choledocholithiasis, as it facilitates the passage of stones from gallbladder into the bile ducts. This is the first study to compare SCA in patients with choledocholithiasis and those with only cholelithiasis. Therefore, we think that this study is important and will be a guide for clinical evaluation.