Holmium Intraductal Laser Lithotripsy of Biliary Stones in Liver Grafts

Biliary stones after liver transplantation (LT) rarely occur but a focus on those complications and their treatment is needed.

In total, 390 adult patients who underwent an LT from July 2004 to July 2014 entered the study. Biliary complications and notably biliary stones after LT were identified.

In total, 365 LT were analyzed. Biliary stones were identified in 14 patients (3.8%). Predictive factors for the onset of biliary stones after LT were hepatocellular diseases (P = .038; OR = 9.7) and biliary stenosis (P = .000; OR = 11.9). Treatments consisted of percutaneous transhepatic procedures (4 patients), endoscopic retrograde procedures (9 patients), and in open surgery (1 case); in 2 cases, due to a failure of previous treatments, holmium intraductal laser lithotripsy (HILL) was used: the first patient, a 35-year-old woman developed multiple intrahepatic biliary stones after LT. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) was ineffective and a HILL was performed, clearing the right common bile duct but leaving residual stones in the left duct. The patient underwent a retransplantation due to recurrent hepatitis C virus infection but died 3 months later because of graft failure. The second patient, a 42-year-old 14 years after retransplantation, developed biliary sludge and stones; after several attempts with PTC and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, a HILL was performed. All stones except one big one were treated. The patient is alive and well.

When usual treatments are unsuccessful and biliary stones are large, their fragmentation and treatment could be done with HILL, a promising procedure after LT.