Endoscopic Transpapillary Gallbladder Stenting for Symptomatic Gallbladder Diseases

Endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage for symptomatic gallbladder disease is a safe and effective bridge therapy in patients at high risk for surgery or who have terminal liver disease awaiting transplantation. However, there are few reports on long-term results in terms of stent patency and clinical course. We investigated the long-term patency and clinical course after endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder stenting (ETGS) in patients who were unsuitable for cholecystectomy with symptomatic gallbladder disease. ETGS using a 7 F double-pigtail stent between the gallbladder and the duodenum was performed successfully in 79.3% in our institutions. Postprocedure complications were mild pancreatitis (8.7%) and cholestasis (8.7%), all of which resolved with conservative management. During the follow-up period (median 586 days, range 11–1403 days), median stent patency was 760 days, as determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. As a primary therapy, ETGS is technically feasible and provide long-term stent patency without the need for scheduled stent exchanges in patients who are unsuitable for cholecystectomy. This article is part of an expert video encyclopedia.