Percutaneous transhepatic balloon dilation for the removal of common bile duct stones

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous transhepatic balloon dilation for the removal of common bile duct stones.Methods 60 patients of common bile duct stone were divided into two groups:PTBD group (30 cases) and endoscopic sphicterotomy (EST) group (30 cases).Postoperatively biliary tract was drained for three days.Results All stones were removed in 28 patients (93％) in PTBD group and 29 cases (97％) in EST group.Early complications occurred in 13％ in PTBD patients and in 17％ in EST patients(x2 =0.35,x2 =0.13,P ＞0.05).There was no mortality in neither group.Long-term complications such as gallstone recurrence and cholangitis in PTBD group was significantly less than that in EST group (x2 =6.41,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The success rate of PTBD was similar to that of EST and while in PTBD the function of Oddi's sphincter was well reserved.PTBD procedure is a valuable alternative to EST in patients with bile duct stones,especially in patients who are not suitable for EST. Key words: Choledocholithiasis;  Sphincterotomy, transhepatic ;  Percutaneous balloon dilation