Effect of different diameters of endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation in the treatment of choledocholithiasis

Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of different diameters of endoscopic papillary balloon dilation(EPBD) for removing common bile duct(CBD) stones.Methods:Patients with CBD stones were divided into 5 groups according to the maximum diameter of stone(≤5 mm,>5~8 mm,>8～<12 mm、12~<14 mm and ≥14 mm),and treated with single limited endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST) and limited EST combined with EPBD with diameter of 8 mm,10 mm,12 mm,and 14 mm balloons,respectively.The postoperative complications in all groups were observed.Results:The success rate of removing stone was 100% in each group.Except the difference of pneumobilia,the differences of other complications between short-and long-term in all groups were not statistically different(P>0.05).Conclusions:Choosing suitable balloon size for dilation according the diameter of stone combined with limited EST to remove CBD stone is safe and effective.Choosing the balloon diameter more than 15 mm needs to be cautious.