Percutaneous management of bile duct stones in children: results of 12 cases

Percutaneous Management of Biliary Stones

Bile duct stone disease is the most common causes of nonmalignant bile duct obstructions. The range of common bile duct stone formation in patients with cholecystectomy is 3 to 14.7%. Hepatolithiasis, although endemic in some parts of the world, is a rare disease that is difficult to manage. Endoscopic intervention is accepted as the first-line management of common bile duct stones. However, when the bile duct cannot be cannulated for various reasons, the endoscopic procedure fails. In this circumstance, percutaneous approach is an alternative technique for the nonsurgical treatment of bile duct stones. This article reviews the indications, technique, outcomes, and complications of the percutaneous treatment of bile duct stone disease.

Percutaneous removal of biliary stones post-liver transplant in a pediatric patient: Case report and review of the literature

This case report describes an 8-year-old girl who underwent a segmental LT for a primary diagnosis of citrullinemia at the age of 12 months. She presented with cholangitis secondary to stenosis of the biliary-enteric anastomosis. MRI revealed dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts associated with multiple stones. An endoscopic approach failed to decompress the bile ducts and remove the stones. A percutaneous approach was then undertaken. After placement of a temporary external biliary drain for 12 days, a 26 French sheath was placed to access the bile ducts. Using a 14Fr flexible cystoscope, 80%-90% of the biliary stones were removed. This was followed by antegrade balloon dilatation of the biliary-enteric anastomosis. Two months later, the procedure was repeated, resulting in complete clearance of the biliary stones. An internal-external biliary drain was maintained in placed for 10 months. The patient has been asymptomatic, with no evidence of stone recurrence for 13 months after drain removal. Percutaneous biliary stone removal is commonly performed in adults with non-transplanted livers, especially in complex cases, and has also been shown to be successful in the pediatric population. However, it is rarely reported in transplanted livers in adults, and to the best of our knowledge, no pediatric cases have been reported. This case illustrates that this technique can be successfully utilized in pediatric LT patients.

Management of Choledocholithiasis in a 5-Month-Old Male Postprimary Repair of Esophageal Atresia with Tracheoesophageal Fistula

Choledocholithiasis (CDL) in neonates and infants is <1 in 5000. There is no gold standard for the management of CDL in the pediatric population. In English literature, this is the first case report of a baby born with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (Type C) with cholangitis, who underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and peroral extraction of a large calculus in the common bile duct after primary repair of esophagus.

Percutaneous management of benign biliary disorders in children

PURPOSE

The goal of this study was to analyze the outcomes of percutaneous transhepatic management of benign biliary disorders in pediatric patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included 11 pediatric patients who underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary interventional procedures between September 2007 and December 2016. There were 3 males and 8 females with a mean age of 9.6±5.4 (SD)years (range: 2-17years). Technical details, complications and outcome of the procedures were evaluated.

RESULTS

The underlying pathologies were bile duct stones (n=2), bile leakage (n=4), choledochal cyst (n=3) and benign biliary stricture (n=2). The therapeutic interventional procedures were as follows; percutaneous stone removal in patients with bile duct stones, external biliary drainage in patients with choledochal cyst, bile diversion by internal-external percutaneous biliary drainage (IE-PBD) in patients with bile leakage, plastic stent placement, IE-PBD with balloon dilatation in patients with benign biliary stricture. The procedures were successful in all patients technically and clinically. One patient experienced intermittent fever.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary interventional procedure is an effective and safe approach for the treatment of pediatric patients with bile duct stones, bile leakage, symptomatic choledochal cyst and benign biliary stricture when endoscopic procedure is unavailable or fails.