Originally Posted by
Another Kevin
About 18 years ago, so ERCP was commonplace. But by the time they decided that ERCP was warranted, they were telling me that the likely outcome of ERCP was palliative stent placement, since with the weird ultrasound indications (no stones visualized, but dilated ducts and fluid around the gallbladder) they thought a mass was impinging on the ducts. The gastroenterologist was astonished to find that he needed to do sphincterotomy and stone extraction just to pass the scope. They also had me scheduled for a HIDA scan, but cancelled the nuc med order because the ERCP had given a conclusive diagnosis: choledocholithiasis complicated by cholecystitis, suppurative cholangitis and biliary pancreatitis. I got an emergency cholecystectomy with IOCP. Then the day after the cholecystectomy, things plugged up again and they wound up doing two more ERCP's with further stone/sludge extraction and TWO stent placements: common duct and right hepatic duct. I gather I was a mess. The internist told me that I was going into acute multiple organ failure when they finally started doing curative things.