Background: Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) is a less hazardous alternative to endoscopic sphincterotomy for managing bile duct stones in patients with a coagulopathy. However, little information on EPBD is available for patients with bile duct stones who are undergoing hemodialysis (HD). We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of EPBD for such patients.
Patients: This was a retrospective cohort study with prospectively collected data for 37consecutive patients with bile duct stones who were undergoing HD and who also underwent EPBD between December 1995 and April 2010 at four institutions in Tokyo, Japan. The main outcome was the safety and efficacy of EPBD for managing bile duct stones in patients undergoing HD.
Results: The bile duct stones were completely removed in one session in 24 patients (64.8%). Overall success was achieved using EPBD alone in all patients. Complications occurred in five patients (13.5%), including two with hemorrhage (5.4%). No hemorrhage developed in any of the 33 patients who had no additional bleeding risk except for HD. Pancreatitis and perforation developed in two (5.4%) and one (2.7%) patient, respectively.
Conclusions: EPBD seems to be a safe and effective treatment to extract bile duct stones in patients undergoing HD. However, EPBD should be performed carefully in patients with additional bleeding risk factors, such as Child-Pugh class C liver cirrhosis and those taking anti-platelet agents at the time of EPBD.