Comparing percutaneous transhepatic papillary balloon dilation with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in elderly patients for common bile duct stones: a 3-year retrospective study

To assess the safety and effectiveness of PTPBD for CBD stones in the elderly population.

Patients aged 60 years or older, who underwent PTPBD or ERCP for CBD stones between January 2021 and December 2023, were included in this study and divided into either the PTPBD group or the ERCP group based on the procedure they underwent. Baseline characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were collected and analyzed using SPSS 25.0.

A total of 145 cases were enrolled in the study. In terms of intraoperative complications, one patient in the ERCP group experienced hemorrhaging, while one patient in the PTPBD group experienced acute pain. However, neither of these patients were in a serious condition and only required observation. Stone removal procedures were successfully conducted in approximately 95% of cases in both the PTPBD and ERCP groups (95.8 and 94.8%, respectively; P > 0.999). ERCP failures were observed in one patient with a previous Billroth II anastomosis and two patients with unconventional anatomy of the esophagus and stomach. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications between the PTPBD group and the ERCP group (P > 0.05). The length of hospital stays did not differ between the PTPBD group and the ERCP group (P = 0.537 > 0.05).

PTPBD can be used in patients who have complicated anatomical issues that make the ERCP procedure difficult. In comparison, PTPBD is a similarly safe, effective, and minimally invasive technique for extracting CBD stones in elderly patients.