"Brave" but careful! ERCP endoscopic surgery solves "pain of gallstones" for a 90-year-old high-risk patient

Recently, Wu Minghao, director of the Digestive Disease Department III of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, successfully performed ERCP (endoscopic retrograde pancreaticocholangiopancreatography) on a 90-year-old high-risk patient. The patient recovered well after the operation and has now been discharged from the hospital.

Half a month ago, Grandpa Wei was admitted to the Digestive Department III due to obstructive jaundice. He had a complex medical history including liver dysfunction, cholecystitis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, prostate cancer, etc. When he was admitted to the hospital, his skin was obviously yellow, his spirit was lethargic, and his total bilirubin was as high as 105.7umol/L, which is 5 times the normal range.

Due to the patient's advanced age, multiple underlying diseases and poor general condition, relieving the obstruction and ensuring smooth drainage become urgent tasks.

Grandpa Wei's condition was very difficult, and common bile duct obstruction was like an insurmountable barrier on the road to recovery. After systematic treatment, the bilirubin level did not drop significantly. Director Wu Minghao was well aware of the complexity and severity of the disease, and quickly organized the department team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the patient's condition.

After repeated discussions, Wu Minghao's team finally decided to perform ERCP on the patient. During the operation, Director Wu Minghao carefully placed the stent, just like building a stable bridge in a narrow river, successfully solving the problem of common bile duct obstruction, allowing bile to flow out smoothly, and restoring the normal physiological function of the bile duct system.

After the operation, Hu Weihua, the head nurse of the third digestive ward, led the nursing team to develop a personalized rehabilitation plan for the patient. Under the comprehensive and meticulous care of the medical team, Grandpa Wei successfully passed the key stages of "infection", "pain" and "nutrition" after the operation, and his various physical indicators gradually stabilized. At present, the patient has been successfully discharged from the hospital.

Director Wu Minghao introduced that ERCP technology (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is known as "the brightest pearl in the crown of digestive endoscopy" and is also known as a "diamond" level diagnostic and treatment technology.

Compared with traditional surgical treatment, ERCP technology has the advantages of no surgery, less trauma, shorter operation time, faster recovery, fewer complications, etc. Especially for older patients with more serious conditions, ERCP has good efficacy and far less risks than surgical operations.

ERCP is a minimally invasive surgery through the natural cavity. It does not change the normal structure of the human body and is repeatable for people in high-incidence areas of stones and those who have recurrent common bile duct stones. The continuous development and successful application of ERCP has brought hope of health to more patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases, especially elderly patients like Grandpa Wei.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Tang Yuanyuan and Chen Jing, Department of Digestive Diseases III, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital

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(Edited by YT)