BN SO56 - Post-ERCP clearance of bile duct stones: Should the gallbladder be left in-situ?

Abstract Background Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the gold standard treatment for patients with cholelithiasis and co-existing common bile duct stones (CBSD) with the ultimate goal to prevent further biliary complications. Despite the procurement of ERCP and LC skills, there still remain a significant proportion of patients who are treated non-operatively. There has been debate on the safety of a ‘watch-and-wait’ policy post ERCP for clearance of CBDS alone. The objective of our study was to review our current practice and compare the outcomes of expectant management (EM) versus LC with an aim to evaluate the necessity of LC after ERCP. Method A retrospective review of patients who underwent ERCP for choledocholithiasis from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2019 was performed. Exclusion criteria applied to patients with previous cholecystectomy, absence of CBDS, gallbladder/pancreatic malignancy, biliary stricture and patients lost to follow-up. Patient characteristics, details of ERCP, initial plan for EM or LC, details of LC and further changes in treatment plan were extracted from the prospectively maintained database of a single institution. Age 70 years is used as cut-off to define elderly group. Primary outcomes measured were biliary-related morbidity and mortality. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, operation-related morbidity and mortality. Results 265 patients were identified, with 136 patients primarily planned for EM and 129 patients initially booked for LC. The median age of patients in the EM group was greater than LC group (80 vs 62 years). 20.6% patients in the EM group re-presented with biliary events compared to 3.9% in the LC group. The median time from first ERCP to recurrence of biliary events in the EM group was 14 months. There was no significant correlation between age and complications from LC. However, 51.4% of our EM group died during follow up with a median survival of 29.5 months. Conclusion Prophylactic cholecystectomy should be performed for patients with concomitant cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis. A conservative approach should be reserved for the elderly population who are not ideal surgical candidates. A follow-up of up to 2 years is recommended for patients who opt for a ‘watch-and-wait’ approach. Early LC is preferrable due to the risk of recurrence of biliary events and the higher risks of surgery if patients require emergency surgery. Further study is warranted to determine the optimal timing for LC. Patients should be informed about the potential recurrence of symptoms if the waiting time to surgery is longer than expected.