The rendezvous technique involving insertion of a guidewire in a percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage tube for biliary access in a case of difficult biliary cannulation

• Published in: Journal of Rural Medicine Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 46 - 49
• Main Authors: Sunada, Fumiko, Morimoto, Naoki, Tsukui, Mamiko, Kurata, Hidekazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE 01-05-2017; The Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
• Subjects: Case Report; difficult biliary cannulation; endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage; rendezvous technique; endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage; rendezvous technique; difficult biliary cannulation
• ISSN: 1880-487X; 1880-4888
• DOI: 10.2185/jrm.2918

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a diagnostic method and treatment approach for biliary diseases. However, biliary cannulation can be difficult in some cases. We performed ERCP in a 97-year-old woman with abdominal pain resulting from acute cholangitis caused by choledocholithiasis and observed difficult biliary cannulation. Eventually, the patient was successfully treated with the rendezvous technique. We could not cannulate the biliary duct during ERCP twice. Therefore, we placed a percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) tube without intrahepatic dilation. The rendezvous technique was performed using the PTGBD tube. The patient did not experience pancreatitis or perforation.