Objectives: To evaluate the utility and safety of a short-type double-balloon endoscope (DBE) in the treatment of biliary disease in patients with surgically altered gastrointestinal (GI) anatomy.
Methods: This study was conducted as a multicenter, single-arm, prospective trial at five tertiary academic care centers and three community-based hospitals in Japan. Consecutive patients with biliary disease with altered GI anatomy were prospectively included in this study.
Results: A total of 311 patients underwent double-balloon endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC). The success rate of reaching the target site, the primary end point, was 97.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 95.4-99.1). The success rate of biliary cannulation and contrast injection of the targeted duct, the secondary end point, was 96.4% (95% CI: 93.6-98.2), and the therapeutic success rate was 97.9% (95% CI: 95.4-99.2). Adverse events occurred in 33 patients (10.6%, 95% CI: 7.1-14.0) and were managed conservatively in all patients with the exception of 1 in whom a perforation developed, requiring emergency surgery.
Conclusions: ERC using a short-type DBE resulted in an excellent therapeutic success rate and a low rate of adverse events. This treatment can be a first-line treatment for biliary disease in patients with surgically altered GI anatomy.