Spyglass-guided Lithotripsy Versus ESWL for Pancreatic Duct Stones

Overview

Overall stone clearance with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for pancreatic duct stones is a amjor problem, especially bigger size stones. After ERCP failure, surgery was the only option but patients not suitable for surgery were treated through stenting. But had to undergo multiple ERCPs and show lower success rate. Recently, SpyGlass and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) have been applied for the treatment of huge stones. The present study aims to compare the efficacy and safety outcomes of SpyGlass-guided lithotripsy and ESWL procedures for the removal of pancreatic duct stones.

ESWL was first used for the removal of renal calculi and ureteral calculi however, now a day is being used for pancreatic duct stones and biliary calculi. It has the advantages of simple operation, lower cost, and higher safety. Recent studies show that the procedure time for ESWL is also shorter and the utilization rate of mechanical lithotripsy was effectively reduced with fewer complications. But It is difficult for ESWL to break the stones larger than 3cm into small pieces. Spyglass has been used in clinics for more than ten years. Recently, a study reported difficult bile duct stones that were treated with SpyGlass-guided laser lithotripsy that shows promising results. Compared with laser lithotripsy under X-ray monitoring, there is no significant difference in stone removal rate and complication rate between the two methods. However, the effect of lithotripsy under Spyglass direct vision is better, which can break large stones into smaller pieces, thus making it easier to take stones. Investigator conducted the current study to compare the therapeutic outcome and complications between SpyGlass direct vision lithotripsy and ESWL procedures for the removal of large pancreatic duct stones.