Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: CBD stones are the commonest cause of obstructive jaundice and cholangitis and in elderly patients with major underlying disease has a high incidence of mortality.

Materials and Methods: In this study, we overviewed 200 patients with CBD stones which treated with cholecystectomy and Endoscopic sphinctrotomy or cholecystectomy and open CBD Exploration, and compare them for surgery complication, treatment failure and hospitalization complications.

Results: We found that these two groups were equal for surgery complication and morbidity. But in patients with Endoscopic sphinctrotomy they had added complication of this procedure. Failure in stone removal both immediately after procedure and in final assessment and costs was considerably higher in the patients that were treated with Endoscopic sphinctrotomy.

Conclusion: These results do not support preoperative Endoscopic sphinctrotomy as a technique for stone removal on the basis of efficacy, morbidity rate and cost. But overall conclusion about comparison of two methods is dependant to other studies about long term morbidity and other factors that affect results.