Why do common bile duct stones require ERCP surgery before laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

  Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP) is an endoscopic technique of injecting a contrast agent through the duodenal papilla to retrograde the pancreaticobiliary ducts, which is currently recognized as the gold standard for diagnosing pancreaticobiliary duct diseases. On the basis of ERCP, interventions such as duodenal papillary sphincterotomy (EST), endoscopic nasal bile drainage (ENBD), and common bile duct lithotomy can be performed, which are popular among patients because they do not require incision, are less invasive, and have a much shorter hospital stay. Patients with gallbladder stones are found to have common bile duct stones on preoperative MRI, and in cases where the stones are not too large, ERCP is required to remove the common bile duct stones before laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is performed, followed by laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder. Since both procedures are minimally invasive, the postoperative recovery will be quick.