Cholangioscopic recanalization of a completely obstructed anastomotic biliary stricture after liver transplant

Video 1A 51-year-old woman underwent orthotopic liver transplant with duct-to-duct anastomosis for primary biliary cholangitis 8 months prior to presentation. Two months postoperatively, she presented with clinical biliary pancreatitis. An MRCP performed on admission demonstrates dilated donor biliary tree and a severe stricture at the anastomosis. An index ERCP shows an indwelling surgical biliary "stent" exiting the duodenal papillae and anastomotic stricture. The surgical stent was removed, a sphincterotomy was performed, and there was an inability to traverse the anastomotic stricture. A representative cholangiogram shown here demonstrates the presence of a severe stricture completely obstructing the biliary tree. ERCP was done the next day, placing a 10-mm × 8-cm fully covered metal stent throughout the anastomosis. Three months later, the stent was removed because there was recurrent stricture at the site of anastomosis. Four months after stent removal, the patient again presented with clinical and laboratory obstructive biliary disease. A follow-up MRCP showed a severe anastomotic biliary stricture with an upstream stone. Several attempts were made to pass ERCP antegrade through the stenosis. However, they were unsuccessful. The rate-limiting step for successful recanalization was guidewire passage across the stricture. In this case, there was complete obliteration of the lumen by fibrosis. Efforts to pass 0.025-inch and 0.035-inch angled hydrophilic guidewires were unsuccessful. Recurrent stricturing was believed to be because of ischemia or inadequate recanalization. Our approach was to attempt antegrade recanalization and biliary decompression through an EUS-guided hepatogastrostomy. However, antegrade recanalization was unsuccessful and led to retrograde cholangioscopy using a single-use endoscope (SpyScope DS-2; Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Mass, USA) 4 weeks later. This video shows the cholangioscopic recanalization process. There was no passage of contrast antegrade or retrograde. During the cholangioscopy, there was no visible lumen. The area of suspected anastomosis based on the pearly white appearance of scar tissue was approached using mini-forceps (SpyBite; Boston Scientific) and a bite-on-bite approach to re-establish a lumen for stent placement. We used the pearly scar tissue as a guide to ensure the correct site for recanalization. We felt comfortable doing this because a hepatogastrostomy and sphincterotomy were thought to be protective against any bile leak if tunneling had dissected out of the duct. Moreover, contrast injection was used periodically to monitor progression into the duct. Eventually, the forceps were advanced into the proximal biliary tree under cholangioscopic direction, re-establishing a lumen. Bile is seen flowing through the identified lumen. While a rendezvous approach with antegrade transillumination and a percutaneous SpyScope DS-2 might be safer for recanalization of complete obstruction, the process would require multiple admissions and procedures for percutaneous access and fistula maturation. This might increase morbidity for this patient with no difference in outcome. We propose that cholangioscopic recanalization along with protection from bile leakage would be a reasonable approach in this case and similar cases with altered anatomy, hepatogastrostomy in place, or unavailability for follow-up or multiple procedures. This is an intraoperative radiographic representation. On the left, the cholangiogram is seen in place and the mini-forceps are passing through it into the proximal biliary tree. On the right, passage of the guidewire with balloon dilation of the stricture is shown. The stone previously seen on MRCP passed spontaneously. A follow-up cholangiogram showed luminal patency. A 10-mm × 10-cm fully covered metal stent (Viabil; W.L. Gore, Flagstaff, Ariz, USA) was placed across anastomosis.