Gallbladder Program Delivering Outstanding Results 

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided (EUS) gallbladder drainage is a minimally invasive technique for managing cholecystitis—inflammation typically caused by gallstones that block bile from draining out of the gallbladder. At UMass Memorial Medical Center, the advanced endoscopy team is trained in pancreaticobiliary endoscopy and can perform gallbladder drainage procedures.

Before 2020, the team performed gallbladder drainage procedures, but not typically by endoscopic ultrasound. Neil Marya, MD,  assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, received specialized training for EUS-guided biliary drainage, specifically for the gallbladder, while he was a fellow at the Mayo Clinic. Upon his arrival at UMass in 2020, Dr. Marya worked with the advanced endoscopy service and general surgeons to implement a protocol that would expand the endoscopic management of cholecystitis. Since then, EUS gallbladder drainage procedures have increased from 5 procedures annually in 2020 to 60 procedures performed in 2024, making UMass’ gallbladder program one of the most robust in the country.   

“The increase in the number of procedures we are doing is reflective of efforts by Dr. Chris Marshall and our nurse practitioner, Jenna L’Heureux, to expand our ability to perform round trip procedures for patients admitted to other hospitals including Leominster, Marlborough, and Milford,” said Dr. Marya. “This allows us to perform complex interventions for patients not admitted to UMass without needing to utilize bed space in our hospital.” Importantly, the inclusion of EUS for the management of cholecystitis improves length of stay and readmission rates but also improves the patient’s quality of life. 

Dr. Marya has been invited by Boston Scientific to lead multiple national courses to help other physicians learn how to implement their own gallbladder program. The team has also hosted two advanced preceptorships at UMass to train other physicians on gallbladder drainage, which, to their knowledge, are the only two preceptorships where live gallbladder drainage has been performed in the world. 

Congratulations to the advanced endoscopy team including Drs. Jaroslav Zivny, Neil Marya, Sarah Hyder, Prashanth Rau, Christopher Marshall, and Savant Mehta, for their fantastic work in implementing this leading-edge program!