Novel elbow basket mechanical lithotripter for large common bile duct stone removal

ABSTRACT

Background

Large common bile duct (CBD) stones often require lithotripsy. In this study, we aimed to introduce a novel device-elbow basket catheter for mechanical lithotripsy (ML) of CBD stones and assess the efficacy and safety of the novel device.

Methods

This was a retrospective study. A total of 139 patients with large CBD stones who underwent lithotripsy using the elbow basket mechanical lithotripter (EBML) or conventional basket mechanical lithotripter (CBML) during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) from June 2016 to September 2021 in our center were enrolled in the study. The stone clearance rate, intubation time, overall procedure time, and adverse event rate were compared between the two groups.

Results

The stone clearance rate in the first ERCP program in the EBML (n = 71) group was significantly higher than that in the CBML (n = 68) group (98.6% vs. 88.2%; P< 0.05). The intubation time in the EBML group was significantly shorter than that in the CBML group (median time; 12s vs. 78s; P< 0.001). The overall procedure time in the EBML group was significantly shorter than that in the CBML group (median time; 51 min vs. 63 min; P< 0.001). The adverse event rate (7.4% vs. 1.4%: P> 0.05) was similar between the two groups.

Conclusions

ML using EBML in patients with large CBD stones is feasible and safe. Compared with the CBML, the stone clearance rate of the EBML is higher in a single procedure and decreases the time of intubation and the overall procedure.

KEYWORDS:

• Common bile duct stone
• mechanical lithotripsy
• endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
• elbow basket mechanical lithotripter

Disclosure statement

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Data availability statement

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00325481.2022.2081418

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received for the production of this work.