In general, emergency surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Non-surgical measures are used to control the acute inflammatory phase, and after the symptoms have resolved, elective surgery is appropriate. After strong anti-inflammatory, anti-shock, intravenous fluids to maintain water, electrolyte and acid-base balance, nutritional support and symptomatic treatment, PTCD or transendoscopic papillotomy for stone extraction and placement of nasobiliary drains for decompression are mostly effective. If there is no improvement or continues to worsen after 12 to 24 h of non-surgical conservative treatment, such as the persistence of typical Charcot’s triad or the development of severe acute obstructive purulent severe cholangitis manifestations such as shock and delirium, timely biliary exploration and decompression should be performed. ERCP lithotripsy for common bile duct stones is a minimally invasive treatment with little pain and can avoid traditional open abdomen.