Laparoscopy-Assisted Transgastric Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography for Choledocholithiasis After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

The exclusion of the stomach after Roux-en-Y-Gastric bypass (RYGB) makes access to the biliary tree very challenging for the surgeon or the endoscopist. There are different techniques described to overcome this downside, being laparoscopic assisted trans-gastric endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) approach an outstanding method to access the remnant stomach for reaching the duodenal papilla, with a high rate of success reported. We describe a case of a 57-year-old patient with altered RYGB anatomy, who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a intra-operative cholangiogram showing a stone on the common bile duct. A laparoscopic assisted trans-gastric ERCP was successfully performed, introducing the duodenoscope through a gastrostomy without the need of an intra-gastric trocar. The patient evolved favorably and was discharged on his second postoperative day without complications.