Long-term Complications in Patients With Previous Endoscopic Papillary Large Balloon Dilation: a Nationwide Retrospective Study

November 6, 2026 updated by: Andrea Anderloni, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) using standard techniques successfully removes common bile duct stones in most cases, but in 10-15% of patients, complex stone features or challenging biliary anatomy require advanced methods such as Endoscopic Papillary Large Balloon Dilation (EPLBD). Although EPLBD effectively facilitates the removal of difficult stones, it disrupts the papillary orifice and removes the natural barrier between the duodenum and the biliary tract, potentially increasing the risk of bacterial translocation and ascending cholangitis. This study aims to evaluate the long-term outcomes (over one year) in patients undergoing EPLBD, focusing primarily on the incidence of post-procedure cholangitis and secondarily on the rate of recurrent choledocholithiasis.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Common bile duct stones are still the most common indication for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogrphy (ERCP). In the majority of cases bile duct clearance is obtained with standard techniques such as the execution of endoscopic sphincterotomy and the use of baskets and balloon catheters for bile duct stones extraction. In up to 10-15% of the cases, conventional techniques are unsuccessful defining the condition of difficult bile duct stones. The reason for a failed bile stones extraction is usually related to specific stone characteristics such as size, number, shape, consistency, location of the stone or certain biliary anatomy (biliary variants, altered anatomy intrahepatic locations of the stones, impacted stone). In these situations, the standard ERCP techniques for stones extraction could not be sufficient and advanced techniques are needed in order to obtain bile duct clearance. These includes endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD), mechanical lithotripsy and/or cholangioscopic-assisted lithotripsy. EPLBD is performed with a balloon catheter at the level of the papilla Balloon dilation allows a controlled dilation of the papilla and a subsequent extraction of the stones with the standard extraction devices. It demonstrated in different studies a high efficacy for difficult bile duct extraction compared to endoscopic sphincterotomy alone. EPLBD cause a complete disruption of the papilla orifice with a significant open communication between the duodenal lumen and the biliary tract. The absence of an anatomical barrier between the bile tract and the duodenal lumen could cause the translocation of intestinal bacteria and/or contamination with food particles with the potential risk of ascending cholangitis.

Aim of our study is to evaluate the natural history of patients who underwent to EPLBD especially focused on the appearance of cholangitis and bile duct stones relapse during a long-term follow-up (> 1 year). The primary objective is to evaluate the incidence of cholangitis episodes after EPLBD during a follow-up period of at least of 1 year. The secondary objective is to evaluate choledocholithiasis recurrence during a follow-up period of at least 1 year.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
1000

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • Pavia
      • Pavia, Pavia, Italy, 27100
        • Recruiting
        • Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with an indication for ERCP for difficult bile stones in 15% of cases and application of EPLBD in 80% of cases.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All patients with a diagnosis of choledocholithiasis who underwent ERCP with EPLBD from January 2014 to March 2023 with complete bile duct stone clearance in one or multiple ERCP sessions will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with age less than 18 years old or with surgically altered anatomy or with orthotopic liver transplantation will be excluded from the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: COHORT
  • Time Perspectives: RETROSPECTIVE

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of cholangitis
Time Frame: 12 months

evaluate the incidence of cholangitis episodes after EPLBD during a follow-up period of at least of 1 year.
12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of ERCP
Time Frame: 12 months

1-year cumulative incidence of ERCP performed for bile duct stones relapse.
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Wide

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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