Chung-Mou Kuo

Background: Evidence supporting the feasibility of single-stage stone removal in patients with a moderate grade of acute cholangitis remains insufficient. The maximal size of a common bile-duct stone suitable for removal during a single-stage ERCP in a moderate grade of acute cholangitis is unknown. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 196 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-naïve patients diagnosed with acute cholangitis and choledocholithiasis. For eligible patients, single-stage treatment involved stone removal at initial ERCP. Results: A total of 123 patients were included in the final analysis. The success rate of complete stone extraction was similar between patients with mild and moderate grades of acute cholangitis (89.2% vs. 95.9%; p = 0. 181). Complication rates were comparable between the two groups. In the moderate grade of the cholangitis group, among patients who underwent early single-stage ERCP, the length of hospitalization declined as short as the patients in the mild grade of cholangitis (10.6 ± 6.2 vs. 10.1 ± 5.1 days; p = 0.408). In the multivariate analysis, early ERCP indicated shorter hospitalization times (≤10 days) (odds ratio (OR), 3.981; p = 0.001). A stone size less than 1.5 cm presented a high success rate (98.0%) for complete stone removal. Conclusions: Single-stage retrograde endoscopic stone removal in mild and moderate grades of acute cholangitis may be safe and effective, which can obviate the requirement for a second session, thus reducing medical expenses. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03754491.

Background: In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of removing a single-stage, retrograde, endoscopic common bile duct stone in patients with mild and moderate acute cholangitis associated with choledocholithiasis.Methods: We enrolled 196 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-naïve patients diagnosed with acute cholangitis and choledocholithiasis between September 2018 and February 2020 at a single hospital. For eligible patients, single-stage treatment involved stone removal at initial ERCP. Early ERCP was defined as ERCP performed ≤ 72 hours following diagnosis in the emergency room.Results: The final analysis included 138 patients. The success rate of complete stone extraction was similar in patients with mild and moderate cholangitis (88.5% vs. 91.7%; p = 0. 536). Complication rates were also comparable between the two groups. In the moderate cholangitis group, the length of hospitalization declined significantly among patients who underwent early single-stage ERCP (10.6 ± 6.1 vs. 18.7 ± 12.5 days; p = 0.001) compared with patients treated with delayed ERCP. In the multivariate analysis, early ERCP indicated shorter hospitalization times (≤ 10 days) (odds ratio (OR), 7.689; p = 0.030), while endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage, for acute cholangitis only, indicated longer hospitalization times (OR, 0.358; p = 0.030). A stone size larger than 1.5 cm was an independent risk factor for stone extraction failure (OR, 24.507; p = 0.009).Conclusions: Single-stage, retrograde, endoscopic common bile duct stone removal may be safe and effective for patients with mild and moderate cholangitis. The benefit of early single-stage ERCP (≤ 72 hours) was reflected mainly by reduced hospitalization time and costs.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03754491.

Purpose: Steadily maintaining high intra-gastric PH is the major factor for successful Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) eradication. It is important to search for a stronger PPI. Dexlansoprazole MR is a dual delayed release formulation PPI taken once daily which is capable of maintaining longer duration of high intra-gastric PH. It is very effective in treating gastroesophageal disease but reports on H, pylori eradication is very rare. This study sought to compare dexlansoprazole MR-based concomitant treatment and lansoprazole-based concomitant treatment in H. pylori infection and to investigate the factors that affect the eradication rates. Methods: Two hundred two participants with H. pylori infection were included and randomly assigned to seven days of dexlansoprazole MR-based concomitant therapy (dexlansoprazole MR 60 mg once daily, clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily, amoxicillin 1 g twice daily and metronidazole 500 mg twice daily; DACM group) or a seven days of lansoprazole-based concomitant therapy (lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily, amoxicillin 1 g twice daily, and metronidazole 500 mg twice daily; LACM group). The participants were asked to perform urea breath tests eight weeks later. Results: The eradication rates in the DACM group were 86.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 77.8%–92.2%] in the ITT analysis and 90.6% (95% CI: 82.9%–95.6%) in the PP analysis, respectively, as compared with 90.1% (95% CI: 82.6%–95.2%) and 92.6% (95% CI: 85.5%–96.9%) (p=0.384 and p=0.572, respectively) in the LACM group for the same analyses. The adverse event rates were 11.5% in the DACM group and 10.2% in the LACM group (p=0.779). Conclusion: As a first-line H. pylori treatment regimen, dexlansoprazole MR-based concomitant therapy attained a successful eradication rate of 90%, which was non inferior to that of lansoprazole-based concomitant treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03829150.