Abstract
The traditional treatment of symptomatic gallstones has, in the majority of cases, been a cholecystectomy. A small number of patients have had their gallstones dissolved with chenodeoxycholic acid or ursodeoxycholic acid, but approximately 50% of these developed recurrent stones when they stopped the medications. Currently, endoscopic lithotomy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), which were developed for urinary stones, are being applied to biliary stones in various investigational protocols. Herein, we review some of the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of the traditional and newer therapeutic alternatives.
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