BACKGROUND AND AIMS To compare extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and laser induced shock wave lithotripsy (LISL) of retained bile duct stones to stone free rate, number of therapeutic sessions, and costs. PATIENTS Thirty four patients were randomly assigned to either ESWL or LISL therapy. The main reasons for failure of standard endoscopy were due to stone impaction (n = 12), bilia...

Six patients with stones retained in the common bile duct after cholecystectomy and common duct exploration were treated by intraductal infusion of a sodium cholate solution. In the five patients whose stones were between the T-tube and the duodenum the treatment was successful within a few days. A stone became transiently impacted in the ampullary region soon after beginning therapy in three p...

OBJECTIVES The overall prevalence of gallstones in the United States is between 10% and 15%. Eighty-five percent of common bile duct (CBD) stones can be removed by endoscopic sphincterotomy with basket or balloon extraction, or both. The introduction of mechanical lithotripsy improved the results up to 90%. We present one case of retained CBD stone after 2 failed endoscopic sphincterotomies and...

The most common cause of biliary obstruction is choledocholithiasis. Endoscopic sphincterotomy is the preferred therapy for retained common bile duct stones. However, stones may pass spontaneously or get impacted at the ampulla [1]. Recent data suggest that precut sphincterotomy is a safe and effective technique that facilitates impacted stone extraction [2]. A 60-year-old man was admitted due ...

Inadvertent spillage of gall stones is a rare yet important cause of delayed postcholecystectomy complications. Varied presentations and difficulty in diagnosis are the hallmarks, making it crucial to have a high index of suspicion to detect and intervene appropriately. Peritoneo-cutaneous fistulae from the retained stone can be completely excised in toto.

Dormia baskets are commonly used during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). One complication is basket retention, through impaction with a gallstone or wire fracture. We describe a case where the external handle of the basket snapped causing retained basket plus large gallstone impacted in the common bile duct (CBD). Following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic CBD ex...

BACKGROUND The serum level of gamma glutaryl transferase and alkaline phosphatase is raised in acute calculus cholecystitis and common bile duct stone. However, the rise in serum level of these enzymes in acute cholecystitis implies stone in the common bile duct is not well studied. Thus, it may lead to retained CBD stone on one side and unnecessary CBD exploration on the other during emergency...