Percutaneous endoscopic laser lithotripsy of a cystic duct stone: a case report

A case report of an elderly patient with severe heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who required laser lithotripsy for a retained cystic duct stone is presented. This high-risk patient underwent a laparoscopic cholecystostomy and gallstone removal as treatment for symptomatic gallstone disease. On cholecystography the patient was found to have a small stone fragment in the cystic duct. Under intravenous sedation this stone fragment was fragmented and removed using an 8.5F flexible ureteroscope and a coumarin pulsed-dye laser lithotriptor. The stone was fragmented and washed into the common bile duct. Follow-up cholecystogram prior to removal of the cholecystostomy tube demonstrated no stones in the gallbladder, cystic duct, or common bile duct. The management of percutaneous removal of retained stones is reviewed.