Because the bile duct is the only route for bile from the liver to enter the intestine, bile duct quartz cannot be removed as easily as gallbladder quartz. When the bile ducts are removed and sutured, they may become narrowed during healing because of the constriction of the incision, so we routinely place a T-tube in the bile duct to prevent stricture and bile leakage. The T-tube is usually left in place for 2-3 months until there are no strictures or stones remaining on the imaging before removal.