| Theme |
Current Treatment Strategies for Common Bile Duct Stones |
| Title |
Choledochoscopic Lithotripsy for Common Bile Duct Stones |
| Author |
Hideo Yamada |
Department of Surgery, Sakura National Hospital |
| Author |
Teruo Kouzu |
Department of Endoscopic Diagnostic and Therapeutics |
| Author |
Takenori Ochiai |
Department of Surgery, Chiba University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Our thoughts about the indications for choledochoscopic lithotomy to treat bile duct stones are as follows: When there is hepatolithiasis without hepaticatrophy or bile duct stones, for which we can not perform EST or high risk cases, for which we can not perform operations. Especially, when the operation is difficult and EST cannot be done as in the case of common bile duct stones, choledochoscopic lithotomy is often performed as the last means of treatment. We use forceps and Nd: YAG laser, Flashlamp Excited Dye Laser (FEDL), and EHL for lithotripsy. The number of complete lithotomies is excellent because of the use of FEDL and EHL. Moreover, we have come to be able to safely treat by using this method. The ratio of complete lithotomies in relation to the number of common bile duct stones in our group was 100%. |