New technology removes bile duct stone easily

Mysuru: Fifty-nine-year-old Devraj Urs, a factory employee and a resident of Gokulam, got a new lease of life when a large stone in his bile duct was removed painlessly using a minimally invasive procedure.

Dr Rajkumar P Wadhwa, a noted gastroenterologist at a city based private hospital conducted the spy colangioscopy using electro-hydraulic lithotripsy equipment. This procedure was used for the first time in the state.

Dr Wadhwa said the stone was blocking the flow of bile into the intestine. The spy colangioscopy with electro-hydraulic tithotripsy equipment was inserted orally and the stone was broken into small pieces, which were later brought out. The whole procedure took nearly an hour.

He said the stone was big and to remove it through any alternate procedure and surgical intervention would have put the patient’s life to risk due to excess bleeding.

The patient was discharged a day later and is currently leading a normal life. He works as an accounts assistant at a city based factory.

Case history
Dr Wadhwa said that in 2003 Urs had developed abdominal pain and was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. He was operated upon at a hospital in Bengaluru, wherein he suffered severe bleeding.

After this failed surgery, his bile duct narrowed and the patient came to him in 2004. Dr Wadhwa restored normal flow of bile through the narrowed duct with a stent and regular treatment.

In 2013, the stent was removed and he was leading a normal life. But in 2019 April he developed severe abdominal pain along with jaundice and fever. Then it was found that a large stone was blocking the bile duct, which could be life threatening.

“The procedure is cost-effective unlike the other laser volmium procedure, which is three times more expensive. Stones in bile ducts are very rare. They are caused due to some infection, certain medicines or alcohol. However, in this patient’s case it was a past infection,” Dr Wadhwa said.