Wait-and-see policy or laparoscopic cholecystectomy after endoscopic sphincterotomy for bile-duct stones: a randomised trial.

Background: Patients who undergo endoscopic sphincterotomy for common bile-duct stones, who have residual gallbladder stones, are referred for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, only 10% of patients who do not have this operation are reported to develop recurrent biliary symptoms. We aimed to assess whether a wait-and-see policy is justified.