Usefulness of the Memory® 8‐wire basket forceps for endoscopic extraction of common bile duct stones after endoscopic sphincterotomy

Background:  The present study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of the Memory® 8-wire basket forceps for extracting small common bile duct stones after endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST). Methods:  Sixty-one patients with common bile duct stones underwent EST. In patients with stones of 1 cm or more diameter, stones were crushed into fragments having a diameter of less than 1 cm using a mechanical lithotriptor. Stones were extracted using a conventional 4-wire basket forceps and a stone retrieval balloon catheter. After endoscopic and fluoroscopic confirmation of the absence of stones, stone extraction was again attempted using the Memory® 8-wire basket forceps, which consists of a 5 Fr catheter sheath and a helical 8-wire nitinol monofilament basket. After a few days, the presence or absence of residual stones was examined by cholangiography via the endoscopic nasobiliary drainage tube. Results:  Further extraction of stones was possible using the Memory® 8-wire basket forceps in 47.5% (29/61) of the patients who underwent extraction of stones by a 4 wire-basket forceps and a stone retrieval balloon catheter. Cholangiography some days after using the Memory® 8-wire basket forceps showed residual stones in only two patients (3.3%). Conclusions:  The Memory® 8-wire basket forceps was a useful device for the accurate and rapid endoscopic extraction of common bile duct stones with a diameter of less than 1 cm after EST.