Objectives: To evaluate the stone clearance rate and identify factors associated with the outcome of flexible cholangioscopy via the Kehr tract.
Subjects and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 207 patients with residual bile duct stones who underwent flexible cholangioscopy via the Kehr tract at Binh Dan Hospital between January 2022 and April 2025. Factors related to stone clearance were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05.
Results: The mean age was 59.46 ± 13.85 years, and females accounted for 64.3% of patients. The stone clearance rate assessed by abdominal ultrasound was 87.4%, the residual stone 12.6%. Two factors were significantly associated with residual stones: having ≥ 5 stones or staghorn-type stones (p = 0.032), and biliary stricture (p = 0.01). No significant association was found between stone clearance and comorbidities or inflammatory and friable bile duct mucosa.
Conclusions: The stone-free rate after stone extraction via the Kehr tract using a flexible endoscope was 87.4%, whereas the residual stone rate was 12.6%. Two factors were significantly associated with residual stones: multiple stones or staghorn calculi (p = 0.032) and biliary stricture (p = 0.01).