Use of a Cholangioscope to Facilitate Cystic Duct Stenting for Cholecystitis

Endoscopic approaches to access and drain the gallbladder in patients with cholecystitis who are not surgical candidates are becoming more widely accepted. The most common approach is to directly access the gallbladder transmurally using a lumen-apposing metal stent. An alternative is to place a double-pigtail plastic stent via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in a trans–cystic duct manner; however, this approach is dependent on guidewire access to the gallbladder, which may be difficult to obtain. In a recent retrospective study, investigators studied the efficacy of using a cholangioscope to facilitate guidewire placement into the gallbladder via the cystic duct.

Of 104 patients who initially underwent ERCP to access a…