Titanium Clip-dental Floss Traction-assisting Endoscopy in Patients With Difficulty in Cannulation Into the Duodenal...

To assess titanium clip-dental floss traction-assisting endoscopy in patients with difficulty in cannulation into the papilla located at the lower, left or right side of the periampullary diverticulum.

Sixty-eight patients who had difficulty in cannulation into the papilla located at the lower, left, or right side of the periampullary diverticulum upon endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were recruited at Taizhou Hospital from July 2016 to June 2020. A random number table was used to divide the patients into an intervention (with titanium clip-dental floss traction) group and a control group (n=34 in each group). Patients in both groups underwent ERCP. The cannulation time, cannulation success rate, incidence of postprocedural complications after ERCP, hospitalization time, and hospitalization expenses in the 2 groups were compared.

The cannulation time was 15.3±4.1 minutes in the intervention group, which was less than that in the control group (25.7±6.5 min). The cannulation success rate was 77±12.1% in the intervention group, which was higher than that in the control group (43±16.7%). Postprocedural complications occurred in 2 patients in the intervention group and 6 patients in the control group, with no significant differences. The hospitalization time and expenses were 3.8±2.6 days and 11.1±6 thousand yuan in the intervention group, respectively, and 6.1±3.7 days and 18.2±8 thousand yuan in the control group, respectively. The differences were statistically significant ( P <0.05).

Titanium clip-dental floss traction-assisting endoscopy achieved excellent efficacy in patients with difficulty in cannulation into the papilla located at the lower, left or right side of the periampullary diverticulum. The cannulation success rate was improved after treatment, with good safety and prognosis.