Approaches to Difficult ERCP Cannulation, Part 1 of 3

Kaveh Mojtahed, MDGI Fellow

The biliary tree and most things internal medicine doctor need to know

Kaveh Mojtahed, MD

Objectives• Common terminology

• Gallstone diseases

• ERCP indications and complications

• Brief review of pancreatic cysts

• Biliary malignancies

• Topics not covered: biliary cysts, chronic gallbladder dysfunction, biliary atresia, gallbladder polyps, HIV cholangiopathy

Chole-what

• Cholelithiasis• Cholecystitis• Choledocholithiasis• Cholangitis• Cholecystectomy• Cholangiocarcinoma

Charcot’s triad vs Raynaud’s Pentad

Fever RUQ painJaundice

HypotensionAltered mental status

Only 50-70% develop all Charcot’s triad

Case #1

• 34 year old male presents to general clinic with episodes of severe epigastric and RUQ abdominal pain

H&P

• Starts 30 minutes after eating, lasts for 4 hrs, then resolves, refers to scapula and right upper back

• Exam: anicteric sclera, no Murphy’s sign

Jaundice

• Scleral icterus and sublingual, total bili 2-2.5• Cutaneous jaundice, total bili 5• Tympanic membrane, total bili 10

• Hemolysis does not increase total bili > 5

• Clay-colored stools = obstructive jaundice • Occult blood in clay colored stool suggests

pancreatic or ampullary CA

Murphy’s sign

65% sensitivity, 88% specificity

Pain and arrested inspiration when the examiners fingers are hooked under right costal margin at mid-clavicular line

Labs/imaging

• CBC and LFTs- normal

What’s the diagnosis?

• Biliary colic

• He decides to defer cholecystectomy for now

Is this a good idea?

• ~60% of symptomatic gallstone patients continue to have symptoms

• 90% of complications (eg cholecystitis) preceded by uncomplicated biliary colic

3 months later

Constant RUQ pain for 24 hrs

T 39, HR 105, BP 110/53Exam: + Murphy’s

WBC 15, Hgb 15, Plt 210, INR 1.1AST 120, ALT 145, AlkP 290, Total bili 4.9, Lipase 200

Differential

• What disease process is occuring?

• Acute cholecystitis• Cholangitis• Gallstone pancreatitis• Choledocholithiasis• Biliary Colic

Cholangitis

• Early antibiotic use

• Biliary decompression

• **Elderly, diabetics, immunocompromised do not have typical presentation**

Antibiotic coverage: 3 most common GN bacteria implicated in cholangitis?

• E. Coli• Klebsiella• Enterobacter

What is the most common GP bacteria• Enterococcus

• Anaerobes

Antibiotics

• GNR- ampicillin/sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, carbapenems

• Anaerobes- Zosyn/Unasyn, metronidazole

Biliary decompression

• Urgent ERCP <24hrs if obstructive biliary stones associated with mod-severe cholangitis [sepsis, total bili > 5, age >75, etc* (refer Tokyo 2013 guidelines)]

• Early ERCP <72hrs with mild cholangitis responding to medical therapy

• Cholecystectomy once clinically stable

ERCP

• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

• Indications: stone disease, malignancy, stricture, recurrent/chronic pancreatitis

• Contraindications: abnormal anatomy, pancreatitis (unless need to remove gallstone)

• What’s an esophageal abnormality that would be a high risk situation for perforation with passing a side viewing scope?

Zenker’s diverticulum

Successful stone extraction

Post-ERCP patient starts to eat and develops severe epigastric pain

Lipase is 1900

What are the main complications of ERCP?

• Perforation (esophageal/duodenal/biliary)

• Post-ERCP pancreatitis (2-10%)- costs healthcare system $150 million/year

• Post-sphincterotomy bleed

How do you diagnose post-ERCP pancreatitis?

1. New or increased abdominal pain 2. Pancreatic enzymes 3x ULN 24 hrs post ERCP3. Resultant hospitalization more than a night

RF: any injection, probing or manipulation of pancreas or its duct, sphincterotomy

Reducing post-ERCP pancreatitis

• Prophylactic pancreatic STENT placement (18 trials have shown reduces risk of PEP by 70%, NNT 8)

• PR INDOMETHACIN immediately after procedure (meta-analysis of 912 pateints, 64% reduction in PEP)

A few other important things

• Acalculous cholecystitisRisk factors: sepsis, TPN, prolonged fasting, sickle cell disease, Salmonella infections, diabetes mellitus, cytomegalovirus, cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis

• Antibiotics, percutaneous drain, cholecystectomy

HIDA

Gallstone disease key points

• Asymptomatic gallstone disease has a benign course and can be managed with observation.

• Biliary colic is the most common clinical presentation in patients with symptomatic gallstones.

• Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for biliary colic and acute cholecystitis.

A few other biliary diseases

• 1. Spinchter of Oddi dysfunction

• 2. Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis

• 3. Primary sclerosing cholangitis

Spinchter of Oddi dysfunction

• Manometry • Nifedipine for Type 3 and

mild 2• ERCP for Type 1 with

spinchterotomy

Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis

• Intrabiliary pigment stone formation resulting in stricture and obstruction leading to recurrent cholangitis

• Stone formation thought to be instigated by parasite (Clonorchis sinesis) or bacterial infection

• Exclusively SE Asians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g18B2rm78E4

PSC• intra/extrahepatic bile duct

inflammation/fibrosis• Alk phos 3-5 x ULN• Ulcerative colitis• ERCP/MRCP• Cholangiocarcinoma

• Treatment: Ursodeoxycholic acid 13-15 mg/kg/day- no change in survival but improves LFTs

Demographic lesson

• Who gets PSC?middle aged men, 70% of PSC patients are men average age 40

• Who gets PBC?middle aged woman, 10 times more than men. Incidence in US women 1/1000 over age 45

Pancreatic cysts

Complete list of pancreatic cystsWidespread use of CT and MRI = 13.5% prevalence of incidental cysts

Epidermoid Cyst in Intrapancreatic SpleenIntraductal Oncocytic Papillary Neoplasm

1. Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN)Intraductal Tubular AdenomaIntraductal Tubular CarcinomaLymphoepithelial CystMucinous Cystic NeoplasmPancreatic Intraepithelial NeoplasiaParaduodenal Wall Cyst

2. PseudocystSerous CystadenocarcinomaSerous Macrocystic / Oligocystic AdenomaSerous Microcystic AdenomaSolid and Cystic Hamartoma of the PancreasSolid Pseudopapillary NeoplasmSolid Serous AdenomaSquamoid Cyst of Pancreatic Ductsvon Hippel Lindau Pancreatic Lesions

IPMN

• Main vs side branch intrapapillary mucinous neoplasm

• Risk of carcinoma 70% in main branch IPMN >3 cm

• Recurrent pancreatitis

• Increased risk of extra-pancreatic malignancies

Pseudocyst or “walled off pancreatic fluid collection”

• Non-epithelial lined lesion formed from resorption of fat necrosis

• Pseudoaneursym

• 40% resolve on their own

• If symptomatic can undergo drainage procedure

Biliary malignancies

• Cholangiocarcinoma

• Ampullary adenocarcinoma

CholangiocarcinomaRisk factors: PSC, biliary atresia, chronic infection with liver flukes, and biliary cysts

60-70%- Klatskin tumor or more distal = complete obstruction

Symptoms: painless jaundice, right upper quadrant pain, and weight loss

CA 19-9, CEA, AFP

MRCP/ERCP

Ampullary adenocarcinoma

• familial adenomatous polyposis or Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

• pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure)

Summary

• Common terminology

• Gallstone diseases

• ERCP indications and complications

• Brief review of pancreatic cysts

• Biliary malignancies

Question

• 85 year old diabetic male in ER for 2 days confusion and poor appetite. He is cool, clammy, no fever, BP 90/70, HR 110, RR 32, nontender abdomen.

• WBC 7, ALKP 550, ALT 120, AST 190, Total bili 3, U/S normal liver, gallstones present, no duct dilatation.

• What’s the next step in management?• A) HIDA• B) ERCP• C) MRCP• D) cholecystectomy

Key point

• In severely ill patients with hypotension and sepsis and a high clinical suspicion for acute cholangitis with or without confirmatory imaging studies

• Preferred next diagnostic test is ERCP

• Diabetics and elderly do not have typical presentations!