Two Institutes Experience in Laparo-Endoscopic Rendezvous Technique for Gallbladder and Bile Duct Stones

The management of gallbladder stones (lithiasis) concomitant with bile duct stones is controversial. The management of CBD stones has evolved considerably since the advent of laparoscopic surgery. The more frequent approach is a two-stage procedure, with endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone removal from the bile duct followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The laparoscopic-endoscopic rendezvous combines the two techniques in a single-stage operation. So the aim of this study was was to evaluate one-stage LC with intra-operative endoscopic sphincterotomy (IOES) vs two-stage pre-operative endoscopic sphincterotomy (POES) followed by LC for the treatment of cholecystocholedocholithiasis.