Two leading treatments for choledocholithiasis—laparoscopic bile duct exploration (lbeps) and ERCP with laparoscopic cholecystectomy—show similar effectiveness, but surgeons can leverage their distinct recovery profiles.
- Both methods achieved 100% stone clearance with no conversions to open surgery, but lbeps showed quicker postoperative recovery of liver function tests.
- Patients receiving lbeps faced less acute cholangitis and had lower baseline liver enzyme levels, indicating a potential advantage for older patients with specific profiles.
Surgeons should tailor treatment selection based on individual patient circumstances to optimize outcomes.
- Complication rates were comparable, with lbeps complications mainly being bile leakage and infection, while ERCP had higher acute pancreatitis rates.
Journal Article by Liu F, Liu XQ (…) Ye HW et 3 al. in Surg Endosc
© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.