Interventional radiology in gallstone disease.

Interventional radiologic techniques for the treatment of gallstone disease are becoming more widely available. Percutaneous cholecystostomy [corrected] can be lifesaving in critically ill elderly patients who have acute cholecystitis. Contact dissolution of stones with methyl tert-butyl ether and percutaneous extraction (with or without fragmentation) of calculi are treatment options in patients who are at high risk for surgery or who do not desire an operation. With increasing use of intracorporeal gallstone lithotripsy techniques in the gallbladder and bile ducts, combined fluoroscopic and direct visualization during percutaneous procedures is becoming more important. Percutaneous chemical ablation of the gallbladder offers a potential solution to the problem of gallstone recurrence.