[Common bile duct stones and their complications]

At the time of cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis, 7-20% of patients have common bile duct stones. Nearly one third of them are asymptomatic. Routine cholangiography during cholecystectomy allows the diagnosis and treatment of common bile duct stones during the same operation. Selective indication for the diagnosis of common bile duct stones based on the positive predictive value of indicators limits treatment to symptomatic cases. No single indicator is however completely accurate in predicting common bile duct stones and the natural history of asymptomatic cases is uncertain. Endoscopic stone extraction preceding cholecystectomy is not superior to one-stage surgical treatment. Diagnosis and treatment of common bile duct stones are feasible laparoscopically. Complications of common bile duct stones are cholangitis and acute pancreatitis; if severe, they require specific therapeutic approaches.