What does this research mean for the field?

Common bile duct exploration (CBDE) provides comparable procedural success to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for choledocholithiasis while significantly reducing the risk of retained or recurrent stones, overall complications, and hospitalization costs. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Compare the clinical efficacy, safety, and healthcare costs of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) versus common bile duct exploration (CBDE) in managing choledocholithiasis.

September 3, 2026BMC SurgeryOpen Access

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography versus common bile duct exploration in the treatment of choledocholithiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Authors

ZCZhong Hao ChiaMinistry of Health JPJolyn Pang VDVanessa Dharmaratnam

Discussion

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Implication

Systematic review and meta-analysis finds common bile duct exploration reduces stone recurrence and complications in choledocholithiasis, indicating clinical benefits over endoscopy.

Key Points

Compare the clinical efficacy, safety, and healthcare costs of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) versus common bile duct exploration (CBDE) in managing choledocholithiasis.
Searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from January 2013 to March 2026 for randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
Identified 33 studies comparing ERCP to open or laparoscopic CBDE and pooled outcomes using risk ratios (RR) and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals.
Procedural success rates did not differ significantly between CBDE and ERCP (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.95–1.02).
CBDE resulted in significantly fewer retained or recurrent stones (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.44–0.94) and a lower rate of overall complications (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64–0.93).
Severe complications were not significantly different between cohorts (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.98–1.36), and CBDE incurred lower hospitalization costs with similar lengths of stay.

Cite This Study

Chia et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9934cf636c6408cfa7c853 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-026-04144-z

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Implication

Systematic review and meta-analysis finds common bile duct exploration reduces stone recurrence and complications in choledocholithiasis, indicating clinical benefits over endoscopy.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography versus common bile duct exploration in the treatment of choledocholithiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography versus common bile duct exploration in the treatment of choledocholithiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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