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In elderly patients with gallstone disease complications involving the common bile duct (CBD), surgeons often decline to perform cholecystectomy due to perceived surgical risks. Instead, they refer patients for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with sphincterotomy as destination therapy to both clear the CBD of stones and facilitate stone passage in the future, recognizing that cholecystitis can still potentially develop.
In the current retrospective study, researchers evaluated the risk for recurrent gallstone disease complications within one year of treatment in nearly 12,000 elderly patients (aged ≥65 years) who presented with choledocholithiasis, gallstone pancreatitis, or ascending cholangitis. All patients underwent…