Management of concomitant gallbladder and common bile duct stones: one stage versus two stages

BackgroundThe ideal management plan for patients diagnosed with concomitant cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis has been a great matter of debate among hepatobiliary surgeons. Some surgeons prefer a single-stage approach (laparoscopic cholecystectomy LC with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration, LCBDE), while others prefer two-stage approaches (preoperative endoscopic stone extraction followed by interval LC). Herein, we compare the outcomes of the previous two approaches in our Egyptian tertiary care setting.MethodsSixty-four patients were eligible for our randomized trial and were randomly assigned into two groups: Group A was scheduled for the single-stage approach and Group B was scheduled for the two-stage approach. Periprocedural outcomes, including success rates, were assessed in the two groups.ResultsFailed stone extraction was encountered in three patients in Group B (success rate 90.62%). However, we were able to completely free the CBD in all patients in Group A (100% success). Operative time was significantly prolonged in Group A (173.13 vs. 75.97 min in Group B). However, Group A patients had a shorter hospitalization period compared with Group B (5 vs. 7 days). Bile leakage was more encountered in Group A, while the incidence of pancreatitis was higher in Group B. All patients were conservatively managed with no further intervention.ConclusionA higher, but not statistically significant, success rate was reported with the single-stage approach. Despite this, this technique was preferred due to a shorter hospital stay and higher clearance rates reported in our study.