Laparoscopic-Assisted ERCP in Gastric Bypass Patients—No Stones Left Unturned: A Single Center Retrospective Cohort Study

The long-term need for biliary duct intervention following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is uncertain. We investigated the rate of laparoscopic assisted retrograde cholangiopancreatography (LAERCP) following RYGB. Also, the pre-LAERCP diagnostic workup together with the true rate of choledocholithiasis in patients with or without prior cholecystectomy was investigated.

Retrospective cohort study of RYGB and LAERCP performed at the Hospital South West Jutland, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, from 1 January 2013 to 31 May 2022.

One percent of patients (n = 13) with a history of RYGB (n = 1363) underwent LAERCP at our facility during a median follow-up of 60.6 months. The stone extraction rate was 66.7% in patients with in situ gallbladder and 12.5% in patients with prior cholecystectomy. Cannulation of the common bile duct was achieved in 96.7% of cases. Postoperative complications were observed in 22.6% of the cases.

Approximately 1% of RYGB patients needed LAERCP during a median follow-up of 5 years. In patients with a history of cholecystectomy, the LAERCP rate of stone extraction was very low (12.5%).