Treatment of choledocholithiasis: a review of clinical trials and current clinical guidelines

Abstract

The review provides an analysis of clinical studies and current clinical guidelines from the MEDLINE database on the PubMed platform regarding the treatment of choledocholithiasis. Choledocholithiasis occurs in almost 20 % of patients with gallstone disease and is characterized by frequent dangerous complications, in particular, bile duct obstruction, cholangitis, and biliary pancreatitis. Therefore, common bile duct exploration is an important component of surgical treatment for gallstone disease, but discussions about the optimal treatment for choledocholithiasis have been ongoing for many years. Currently, there is no generally accepted standard of treatment, and various methods and approaches to the staging and sequence of surgical interventions on the gallbladder and common bile duct are used. In recent years, the leading methods of choledocholithiasis treatment are minimally invasive endoscopic and/or laparoscopic interventions, which have almost completely replaced open surgeries. For common bile duct exploration and normalization of biliary excretion, endoscopic transpapillary (retrograde) access is used mostly, which is characterized by a high risk of post-procedural immediate and long-term complications. Endoscopic management of common bile duct stones requires an additional intervention — laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is most often performed at the second stage or simultaneously with endoscopic intervention. The optimal staging and sequencing of interventions requires further research. A good alternative to endoscopic interventions on common bile duct is its laparoscopic exploration through the cystic duct or by choledochotomy (antegrade), which can be performed simultaneously with cholecystectomy. However, this technique has not yet been widely adopted, and immediate and long-term results are conflicting that require further research into the effectiveness and safety of the method. The effectiveness of surgical treatment for choledocholithiasis depends not only on the individual characteristics of a patient, including biliary anatomy, the form and severity of the disease, but also on the local experience and availability of appropriate equipment, which must be taken into account when planning treatment.