[Is surgical treatment indicated in choledocholithiasis?]

Surgical exploration of the biliary pathways on account of relapsing or forgotten concrements in the biliary pathways in patients above 70 years with associated diseases has a high morbidity and mortality. The authors present an account of a group of patients from their departments; these patients with choledocholithiasis were treated by the at present ever more frequently used method--endoscopic sphincteropapillotomy. In the discussion the authors deal with possibilities to use EPS in the treatment of choledocholithiasis with a cholecyst in situ, acute pancreatitis with biliary genesis but also acute cholangoitis with the background of choledocholithiasis. They consider EPS the therapeutic method of choice in choledocholithiasis and report very good immediate as well as long-term results.