Randomized Trial of Spyglass Guided Laser Lithotripsy Versus Dilation-Assisted Stone Extraction for the Endoscopic Removal of Difficult Large Bile Duct Stones

Purpose Very large bile duct stones are difficult to remove.Dilation-assisted stone extraction, also termed small endoscopic sphincterotomy plus endoscopic papillary large balloon dilatation, is safe and effective technique for the treatment of large CBD stones.However, in approximately 5-10% of patients, the removal of large bile duct stones may be difficult. For this selected group of patients for whom all conventional endoscopic stone treatment devices have failed, laser lithotripsy technology has provided an approach to the fragmentation of difficult bile duct stones.

A single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC) system(SpyGlass Direct Visualization System, Boston Scientific Corp., Natick, MA, USA) has overcome most of the conventional cholangioscopy limitations.We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Spyglass-guided laser lithotripsy for difficult CBD stones not amenable to conventional dilation-assisted stone extraction therapy.

Study Type: Interventional Study Design: Allocation: Randomized Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Single Blind (Subject) Primary Purpose: Treatment Official Title: Randomized Trial of Spyglass Guided Laser Lithotripsy Versus Dilation-Assisted Stone Extraction for the Endoscopic Removal of Difficult Large Bile Duct Stones

Primary Outcome Measures:

• Bile Duct Stone Clearance Confirmation that no further stones remain in the bile duct of the patient by cholangiography. Additionally, serum laboratory abnormalities in AST, ALT, Alkaline Phophatase, or bilirubin, or epigastric abdominal pain attributable to bile duct stones.