EUS-Guided Gallbladder Drainage Versus Conservative Management in Patients Unfit for Surgery After a Biliary Event Without Cholecystitis. DRECON Study

Official title

Multicenter Comparative Clinical Trial: EUS-Guided Gallbladder Drainage Versus Conservative Management in Patients Unfit for Surgery After a Biliary Event Without Cholecystitis. DRECON Study: (DRainage, Endoscopic Ultrasound, CONservative)

Overview

Cholecystectomy is considered the standard definitive treatment after an acute biliary event (biliary colic, acute pancreatitis, cholangitis, or choledocholithiasis). However, in elderly patients and/or those with significant comorbidities, surgery is often not feasible, leaving this population at high risk of biliary event recurrence (approximately 25-31% per year without treatment). EUS-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) using a lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) is an established endoscopic technique currently recommended for acute cholecystitis in patients unfit for surgery. It creates an internal fistula between the gallbladder and the adjacent digestive tract, allowing direct endoscopic access for stone clearance (cholecystoscopy). This approach could theoretically prevent biliary event recurrence similarly to cholecystectomy. The DRECON study (DRainaige, Endoscopic ultrasound, CONservative) is a multicenter, randomized, comparative clinical trial evaluating whether EUS-GBD with LAMS reduces biliary recurrence at 1 year compared to conservative managment (CM) in patients unfit for surgery after a biliary event without acute cholecystitis who are candidates for elective cholecystectomy. Primary hypothesis: EUS-GBD will reduce the risk of biliary event recurrence (biliary colic, acute pancreatitis, cholangitis, choledocholithiasis, or cholecystitis) at 1 year of follow-up compared to conservative management in patients unfit for surgery with gallbladder lithiasis. Estimated sample: 110 patients (55 per arm). Randomization 1:1 (EUS-GBD vs CM), stratified by centre and prior biliary sphincterotomy. Duration: 24 months recruitment + 12 months follow-up (total 3 years). Participating centres: Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa (coordinating centre), Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospital General de Granollers, Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí de Sabadell, Hospital Universitari de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Hospital General Universitario Dr Balmis and Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña.

Interventions

• Procedure EUS-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD)
  Endoscopic procedure under CO2 insufflation using a therapeutic linear echoendoscope (therapeutic channel \>3.7 mm). A cholecystogastrostomy or cholecystoduodenostomy is created by deploying a LAMS between the gallbladder and the gastric antrum or duodenal bulb (operator's choice). A coaxial double-pigtail plastic stent (7Fr, 3-5 cm) is placed through the LAMS.
• Other Conservative management (CM)
  Standard supportive medical care will be determined by the treating medical team according to clinical evolution (analgesia, fluid support, antibiotic therapy, etc.). Patients with lithogenic material in the extrahepatic bile duct confirmed by imaging or EUS will undergo endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Primary outcome measures

• Clinical biliary recurrence rate at 1-year follow-up [Time frame: 12 months after procedure (in experimental Arm 1- EUS-GBD) or randomization (in case of Arm 2 - CM)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Patients ≥ 18 years of age
• Patients who have experienced a benign biliary event (biliary colic, acute pancreatitis, cholangitis, or choledocholithiasis) and are candidates for elective cholecystectomy
• Patients deemed unfuit for surgery (age ≥ 80 years, ASA score ≥ 3, Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 5) or who voluntarily refuse surgery
• Diagnosis of lithogenic/lithiasic material in the gallbladder by imaging (biliary sludge, microlithiasis, and/or cholelithiasis)
• Signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• No signed informed consent
• Prior cholecystectomy
• Biliary event secondary to malignant etiology
• Acute cholecystitis diagnosed according to Tokyo 2018 criteria
• Moderate-to-severe ascites without prior paracentesis
• Perforated gallbladder
• Severe coagulopathy (INR > 1.5) or thrombocytopenia (platelets < 50,000/μL) not correctable
• Any clinical condition preventing sedation
• Patient dependent for daily activities (ECOG ≥ 4)

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Publications

• Garcia-Sumalla A, Loras C, Guarner-Argente C, Velasquez-Rodriguez JG, Andujar X, Salord S, Busquets J, Tebe C, Laquente B, Gornals JB. Is a coaxial plastic stent within a lumen-apposing metal stent useful for the management of distal malignant biliary obstruction? Surg Endosc. 2021 Aug;35(8):4873-4881. doi: 10.1007/s00464-021-08435-9. Epub 2021 Mar 15. PMID 33721090
• Bazaga S, Garcia-Alonso FJ, Aparicio Tormo JR, Martinez Moreno B, Sanchiz V, Suria C, Garcia-Sumalla A, Gornals JB, Chavarria C, Loras C, Garcia-Fernandez FJ, Teran A, Vazquez-Sequeiros E, Pedraza Sanz R, Perez-Carazo L, Subtil JC, Perez-Millan A, Uceda Porta F, Busto Bea V, de la Serna-Higuera C, Pinto Garcia I, Colan-Hernandez J, Huertas C, Guarner-Argente C, Perez-Miranda M; RNPAL (Registro nac PMID 36882089
• Martinez-Moreno B, Lopez-Roldan G, Escuer J, Gornals JB, Loras C, Gordo A, Vila J, Bazaga S, Dura M, Sanchiz V, Zaragoza N, Gonzalez-Huix F, Repiso A, Aparicio JR. Outcomes of a multicenter registry on EUS-guided gallbladder drainage as a rescue technique for malignant distal biliary obstruction after failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Endosc Ultrasound. 2025 Mar-Apr;14(2):73-7 PMID 40385966
• Sumalla-Garcia A, Aparicio-Tormo JR, Pedraza-Sanz R, Sanchiz-Soler V, De-la-Serna Higuera C, Andujar X, Vazquez-Sequeiros E, Puigcerver-Mas M, Martinez-Moreno B, Barbera T, Capilla-Lozano M, Martinez-Ortega A, Foruny-Olcina JR, Luna-Rodriguez D, Garcia-Lerma E, Penafiel J, Busquets Barenys J, Laquente-Saez B, Perez-Miranda M, Videla S, Loras C, Gornals JB; Spanish Working Group on Endoscopic Ultra PMID 40701486
• Troncone E, Amendola R, Moscardelli A, De Cristofaro E, De Vico P, Paoluzi OA, Monteleone G, Perez-Miranda M, Del Vecchio Blanco G. Endoscopic Gallbladder Drainage: A Comprehensive Review on Indications, Techniques, and Future Perspectives. Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Apr 14;60(4):633. doi: 10.3390/medicina60040633. PMID 38674279
• Bazaga S, Garcia-Alonso FJ, Aparicio Tormo JR, Martinez Moreno B, Sanchiz V, Gornals JB, Loras C, Teran A, Vazquez-Sequeiros E, Pedraza Sanz R, Subtil JC, Perez-Millan A, Uceda Porta F, Vila JJ, de la Serna-Higuera C, Couto-Worner I, Guarner-Argente C, Perez-Miranda M; RNPAL (Registro nacional de protesis de aposicion luminal, national lumen-apposing metal stent registry) study group. Endoscopic u PMID 37920889
• Flynn DJ, Memel Z, Hernandez-Barco Y, Visrodia KH, Casey BW, Krishnan K. Outcomes of EUS-guided transluminal gallbladder drainage in patients without cholecystitis. Endosc Ultrasound. 2021 Sep-Oct;10(5):381-386. doi: 10.4103/EUS-D-21-00040. PMID 34677160
• Koutlas NJ, Pawa S, Russell G, Pawa R. Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Gallbladder Drainage: Beyond Cholecystitis. Diagnostics (Basel). 2023 Jun 1;13(11):1933. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13111933. PMID 37296785

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07655778 · E/26-045

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗