Effect of Abdominal Massage on Prevention of Recurrent Common Bile Duct Stones After Endoscopic Sphincterotomy

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) are the preferred techniques for treating common bile duct stones (CBDS) due to their advantages of minimal trauma, rapid recovery, low cost, and high success rates of up to 95%. Despite these benefits, the recurrence rate of CBDS in patients after endoscopic therapy ranges from 4% to 25%, posing a significant challenge for endoscopists and an urgent problem to be addressed. Abdominal massage is a promising non-invasive physical intervention for preventing recurrent CBDS. This technique is a simple, effective, and non-invasive technique that can be utilized for patient self-management and is widely used in the field of digestive diseases. External pressure applied to the common bile duct during abdominal massage may promote bile excretion from the duct to the duodenum, similar to the effect of gallbladder movement flushing bile, which can prevent bile deposition in the common bile duct, thereby preventing the formation of new stones or flushing away newly-generated small stones. Therefore, investigators plan to conduct a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled study to investigate the preventive effect of abdominal massage in patients with recurrent CBDS.