To date no clinic trials have reported on the safety and effectiveness of the use of a frequency-doubled double pulse neodymium YAG (FREDDY) laser with a radiopaque mark under fluoroscopic guidance to treat bile duct stones that are untreatable by conventional endoscopic therapy. We report the cases of 30 patients with impacted or large common bile duct (CBD) stones (> 1.5 cm) treated by endoscopic lithotripsy using FREDDY laser with a radiopaque mark under fluoroscopic guidance. During the procedure, the tip of the laser fiber was packaged with a radiopaque ring mark that was detectable by fluoroscopy. In these patients, complete bile duct clearance was achieved in 27 of the 30 patients (90 %). The majority of patients (18/30) were treated in a single session; the mean number of sessions needed to clear the bile ducts completely was 1.4 ± 0.6. Adverse events were noted in two patients, who both developed acute mild pancreatitis.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty with a side-hole push rod (modified PVP) and conventional PVP in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).Materials and methodsThis study included 69 patients with 1-level OVCFs. Perioperative indicators, including the operative time, cement injection volume, cement leakage rate, and distribution of cement in the fractured area, were analysed. The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were administered pre- and postoperatively.ResultsNo significant differences were observed in the operative time or cement injection volume between the two groups (p > 0.05). The total diffusion score of bone cement in the PVP group was significantly lower than that in the modified PVP group (p < 0.05). Compared with the conventional PVP group, the modified PVP group had a significantly lower VAS score at 3 days postoperatively (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the VAS or ODI scores between the two groups at the last follow-up (p > 0.05). Bone cement leakage was observed in 15 cases in the conventional PVP group (15/32) and in 9 cases in the modified PVP group (9/37).ConclusionThe modified version of PVP provides sufficient cement to fill the fractured area and is associated with a lower incidence of cement leakage and undesired postoperative results than is conventional PVP, indicating that modified PVP is a safe and effective new technique for the treatment of OVCFs.