[Diagnosis and interventional therapy for ductal gallstones]

Abstract

Different imaging modalities recently underwent considerable improvements for the visualization of ductal gallstones. The declining significance of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been accepted unanimously. This paradigm shift is mostly due to improvements in transabdominal ultrasound, the increased availability of endoscopic ultrasound, and the use of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). In particular, MRCP is limited only in visualizing very small intraductal gallstones due to spatial resolution restrictions, whereas the detection rate of larger concretions is comparable to that with ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound. Patients with biliary pancreatitis benefit greatly from noninvasive MRCP visualization, establishing it as the preferred imaging modality. Particularly if ductal gallstones requiring further intervention are highly suspected, ERCP is preferable to other imaging modalities. If that suspicion is moderate, MRCP would be the imaging modality of choice, and transabdominal ultrasound would be performed if ductal gallstones are considered improbable. In up to 90% of cases, removal can be achieved endoscopically. Using a percutaneous approach smaller concretions can be extracted directly. However, larger gallstones need to be broken down into smaller fragments. For lithotripsy, either cholangioscopically-guided laser or electrohydraulic procedures are easy and effective. In case of strictures due to biliodigestive anastomoses, additional papillary balloon dilatation may be required.