[Endoscopic management of biliary lithiasis]

The management of bile duct stones is one of the most important contributions of therapeutic endoscopy. It is considered the elective method to treat cholecystectomized patients with recurrent or residual stones as well as those that have high surgical risk, choledocholithiasis and intact gallbladder. Discussion must yet come to terms with those patients that have low surgical risk. Patients with severe biliary pancreatitis have better outcome when they are treated endoscopically, making the procedure an alternative therapeutic approach. Stones are usually removed with balloons or dormia baskets. When the stones can not be extracted or there is a giant stone, endobiliary prostheses or nasobiliary catheters can be used. Materials and techniques are described in this paper.