Gallbladder Cryoablation: Technique & Clinical Insights

Dr. Kim describes building a percutaneous cholangioscopy program for gallstone extraction and how experience with complex tumor cryoablation, difficult bile leaks, and close mentorship shaped his approach. He outlines his referral pathway with general surgery and his empirical selection criteria, based on non-surgical status, life expectancy, and prior episodes of cholecystitis. He then walks through his technique, from gallbladder decompression and hydrodissection to cryoprobe placement for complete coverage, as well as prophylactic antibiotics, overnight admission, and next-day tube removal. The physicians close by reviewing the need for additional early single-center studies, predictors for patients who will experience stone recurrence, and the case for a multi-institutional registry.