ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT03244163Updated Sep 4, 2024

Spyglass DS Peroral Cholangioscope Guided LL or EHL Versus BML for Endoscopic Removal of Complicated Bile Duct Stones

An interventional study of Spyglass DS cholangioscope and BML in Biliary Stones, sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong. Recruiting at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 99 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-09-04.

Sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jun 2026, 5 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Registered 1 year 1 month after the study started (first participant enrolled Jun 2016, registered Jul 2017).
  • Started Jun 2016; still recruiting 10 years 4 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
86
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 99 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study aims to compare the overall rate of endoscopic clearance of complicated bile duct stones by Spyglass DS peroral cholangioscopy guided holmium:YAG laser/electrohydraulic lithotripsy versus conventional BML.

Read the detailed description

Currently, complicated bile duct stones are removed during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) by conventional mechanical lithotripsy, which means using a metal wire basket to capture the stone and crush it to make it easier to remove. This is successful in approximately 70% of patients, with the success rate inversely correlated to the size of the stone. Unsuccessful stone removal would require additional endoscopic, percutaneous or surgical interventions. Spyglass DS peroral cholangioscope-guided holmium:YAG laser/electrohydraulic lithotripsy is a recent alternate method for managing complicated bile duct stones. Also performed during ERCP, a thin flexible camera (called Spyglass DS peroral cholangioscope) is inserted into the bile duct to visualize the stone which can then be targeted by a laser beam for fragmentation (also known as laser lithotripsy). The smaller pieces are then removed. Direct comparisons of these procedures' efficacy however have not been performed.

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of Spyglass DS peroral cholangioscope-guided holmium:YAG laser/electrohydraulic lithotripsy (the laser arm) versus conventional basket mechanical lithotripsy alone (the conventional arm) for fragmentation and clearance of complicated bile duct stones.

02

Conditions studied

  • Biliary Stones

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Keywords

  • Spyglass DS
  • Laser lithotripsy
  • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
03

In context

Cholecystolithiasis

88 studies on the registry are indexed under Cholecystolithiasis; 17 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 86 is below the median of 100 across 59 interventional studies indexed under Cholecystolithiasis.

Browse Cholecystolithiasis studies →

Lead sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,454 studies on the registry; 474 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 99 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with complicated biliary stones
  • Patients older than 18 years old
  • Patients where can be obtained

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who cannot give
  • Patients under 18 years old
  • Pregnant or lactating patients
  • Patient with altered gastrointestinal/biliary anatomy
  • Patients with distal CBD malignant stricture from intrinsic or extrinsic causes
  • Patients with ongoing cholangitis or biliary pancreatitis
  • Patient with bleeding tendencies ( count \<50,000/mm3 or >1.5 despite correction with platelet or fresh frozen plasma transfusions)
  • Patients with intrahepatic segmental stones
  • Patients with to endoscopy due to comorbidities
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

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Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
86 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    LASER ARM

    Spyglass DS cholangioscope guided laser or electrohydraulic lithotripsy

    Device: Spyglass DS cholangioscope

  • Active comparator
    CONVENTIONAL ARM

    Stone removal by conventional techniques, for example BML, without laser lithotripsy

    Device: BML

Interventions

  • DeviceSpyglass DS cholangioscope

    The 1.8Fr holmium:YAG laser fiber (Lumenis, Yokneam, Israel) will be inserted into the cholangioscope's working channel for lithotripsy under direct visualization. An EHL probe may alternatively be used depending on availability. Lithotripsy is applied until fragments of the targeted stone are no longer lumen filling, and can be dispersed easily with fluid irrigation. Fragmented stones are then removed by a combination of conventional techniques. To confirm stone clearance, the Spyglass DS cholangioscope will be re-introduced, and the bile duct will be examined for residual stones from the confluence of the right and left intrahepatic ducts to the papillary opening

  • DeviceBML

    Biliary sphincterotomy with/without EPBD to the size of the lower bile duct with a limit of 15mm will be performed. Stones are removed by a combination of conventional BML, extraction balloon and/or baskets, without laser lithotripsy. An occlusion cholangiogram is performed to confirm stone clearance. In cases where stone clearance is incomplete, a plastic biliary stent bridging the stone will be inserted for temporary drainage until definitive management, usually within one month.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Overall rate of endoscopic bile duct stone clearance

    Overall rate of endoscopic bile duct stone clearance

    Time frame: Intraoperative

Secondary outcomes

  1. Technical feasibility

    Technical feasibility defined as successful introduction of cholangioscope into the CBD, visualisation and laser targeting of stone

    Time frame: Intraoperative

  2. Incidence of adverse events

    Incidence of adverse events

    Time frame: 30 days

  3. Need for and number of additional procedures for stone clearance

    Need for and number of additional procedures for stone clearance

    Time frame: 6 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 4, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03244163
Responsible party
James Yun-wong Lau, MD (Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 9, 2017
Start date
Jun 14, 2016
Primary completion
Jun 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 4, 2024

Study contacts

John C Wong, MD
Contact
jctwong@cuhk.edu.hk
(852)35052931
James LAU, MD
principal investigator · Chinese University of Hong Kong

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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