Patient satisfaction after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for biliary stones: a prospective multicenter study in Lombardy.

Aims: To measure patients' satisfaction after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for biliary stones in a large number of unselected endoscopy units.

Methods: A prospective study using a questionnaire (Group Health Association of America-9 [GHAA-9], modified) was administered 24 h and 30 days after the procedure. Patients undergoing endoscopy for biliary stones for the first time were enrolled in a large number of endoscopy units, regardless of their size and workload.

Enteral self-expandable metal stent for malignant luminal obstruction of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract: a prospective multicentric study.

Background: Self-expanding metal stents (SEMSs) are used to treat malignant stenosis of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, as a safe, feasible, and minimally invasive option for reestablishing luminal patency. However, the literature offers scant prospective data on the clinical outcome of these patients.

Aim: To assess the technical success, complications, and clinical outcomes of patients with a SEMS placed for malignant upper and lower GI obstruction.

Prospective multicenter quality assessment of endotherapy of biliary stones: does center volume matter?

Background And Study Aims: To study the effectiveness of endoscopic treatment for biliary stones in a large case list of patients treated in units with different experience and different workloads in a region of northern Italy.

Patients And Methods: We prospectively studied 700 patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or sphincterotomy, in 14 units (> or < 200 examinations/year), for their first treatment of biliary stones. The difficulty of the examinations, the results in terms of clearance of the stones, and the late outcomes (24 months) were recorded.

Acute colonic obstruction: endoscopic stenting and laparoscopic resection.

Introduction: Acute colonic obstruction is a frequent emergency condition in a general surgical setting. The use of an endoscopic self-expanding stent can relieve obstruction and eventually prepare the patient for elective laparoscopic or open surgery.

Materials And Methods: From September 2001 to March 2006 we treated 25 patients with acute left or transverse colonic obstruction.

Preoperative selective endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and laparoscopic cholecystectomy without cholangiography.

The aim of this study was to show that laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely without routine intraoperative cholangiography. We performed a retrospective analysis of 1750 consecutive patients (1170 females and 580 males with a mean age of 51 years) who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy between January 1991 and January 2000. In all, 193 patients (11%) were selected to undergo preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) on the basis of several criteria for risk of stones.