Aims Endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) has emerged as an alternative
method of biliary drainage in patients presenting with biliary obstruction (BO). This
meta-analysis with meta-regression comprehensively aimed to study success, efficacy
and safety of EUS-HGS.
Methods Several databases were systematically searched for studies evaluating EUS-HGS for
BO till April 2023. Studies with<10 patients were excluded. Primary outcome was the
technical and clinical success of procedure. Secondary outcomes included adverse events
(AE), survival time, reintervention, recurrent biliary obstruction and stent patency
rates. Sub-group analysis based on type of stent, year of publication as well as geographical
differences (east vs west) were also conducted.
Results Sixty-eight studies (18 prospective) with 3292 patients (59.8% males) were included.
Most common indication was malignant BO (93.1% patients). Pooled rates of technical
and clinical success were 97.1% (93.4%-100%, I2=0; 68 studies) and 84.0% (95% CI 79.0-88.1%, I2=14.7%, 57 studies) respectively. Mean procedure time was 28.9 minutes (95% CI 22.0-35.8%,
I2=73.1%; 24 studies). Adverse events were noted in 26.1% (95% CI 21.8-30.4%, I2=29.9%; 68 studies) patients with majority being mild 10.0% (95% CI 4.3-15.6%, I2=0%; 20 studies). Pooled rates of moderate and serious AE were 9% (95% CI 3%-14%,
I2=0%; 21 studies) and 2.8% (95% CI 3.6-9.1%, I2=0%, 10 studies), respectively. Various AE included pain (7%), perforation (2%), bile
leak (3%), peritonitis (7%), bleeding (3%) and sepsis (6%).
Pooled rates of stent patency were 93.78 days (95% CI 78-109.2; I2=0%; 13 studies). Pooled rates of recurrent biliary obstruction (RBO) were 22% (95%
CI 16%-27%; I2=0%; 25 studies). Pooled reintervention rates were 19.0% (95% CI 14.7-23.3%, I2=0%, 44 studies) patients. Overall survival was 101.6 days (95% CI 60.9-142.4%, I2=0%, 9 studies) and death was observed in 3.5% (95% CI 3.1-10.0%, I2=0%, 13 studies) patients. On meta-regression, year of publication was associated
with decreasing rates of AE (32% vs 23%; p=0.04). Clinical success rates were higher
in studies reported from the east (compared to the west), but did not differ amongst
types of stents (metal vs. plastic) or type of publication (prospective vs retrospective).
Conclusions As a modality for biliary drainage, EUS-HGS has high rates of technical and clinical
success with low rates of serious adverse events. Data suggests that rates of adverse
events have declined with time, probably due to improved operator experience and technique.