Common Bile Duct Injury in Cholecystectomy

Dickens critiques the study by Kalata et al on common bile duct injury(CBDI) in Medicare patients from 2010 through 2019. This retrospective, claims-based research can provide meaningful insight despite the many limitations of such an inquiry. The authors found a higher rate of CBDI with robotic-assisted cholecystectomy compared with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. They concluded that robotic-assisted cholecystectomy should be reconsidered to prevent unnecessary harm. In response, Kalata et al comment that they are glad that this study has stimulated important discussions within the surgical community around the role of robotic-assisted cholecystectomy.