Combined endoscopic and extracorporeal shock-wave treatment in difficult bile duct stones: early and long-term...

Endoscopic papillosphincterotomy (EPT) has become a well-established therapeutic procedure in the management of common bile duct stones; however, in difficult cases with large stones or anatomic conditions limiting the amplitude of the sphincteric section, the procedure may fail. In these cases, the association with extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has proved to be helpful. Twenty out of 21 patients in whom the endoscopic approach failed because of the presence of large stones in the biliary tree (15 cases) or anatomic conditions (5 cases) underwent ESWL treatment. Stone fragmentation was achieved in 18 of the 20 treated patients (90%), with spontaneous clearing of the fragments in 10 patients after ESWL sessions and in another 2 patients within three months. In 6 cases the residual fragments were extracted by means of endoscopy. The combined procedures were therefore successful in all the 18 cases in which stone fragmentation was obtained. Complications occurred in two cases after ESWL treatment (asymptomatic pancreatic reaction and severe bleeding from the papillary area). Clinical, ultrasound and biochemical evaluations at 6 and 12 months documented a normal condition in all but two treated subjects.