Endoscopic Ultrasound After ERCP to Assess for Residual Stones

More than one third of patients will have remnant stones or sludge after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, but does it matter?

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) remains the gold standard treatment for patients with choledocholithiasis. Despite undergoing biliary sphincterotomy and stone removal from the common bile duct (CBD) with such endoscopic tools as retrieval balloons and stone baskets, some patients may harbor residual stones even after the endoscopist perceives that the duct has been fully cleared.

To assess the use of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for identifying remnant stones or sludge after ERCP, investigators prospectively evaluated 130 patients who underwent ERCP and subsequent EUS by two different physicians. All patients underwent biliary sphincterotomy and stone extraction.

After CBD stones were thought to have been completely remov…

Reviewing Author

Douglas G. Adler, MD, FACG, AGAF, FASGE

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBSC; Merit; Olympus

Speaker’s BureauAbbVie

Editorial BoardsGastrointestinal Endoscopy

Douglas G. Adler, MD, FACG, AGAF, FASGE

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBSC; Merit; Olympus

Speaker’s BureauAbbVie

Editorial BoardsGastrointestinal Endoscopy

Endoscopic Ultrasound After ERCP to Assess for Residual Stones

Topics

Reviewing Author