Prospective randomized study of endoscopic biliary stone extraction using either a basket or a balloon catheter: the BasketBall study

Background In Japan and Europe, a retrieval basket is generally used for endoscopic extraction of bile duct stones, while in the US, a retrieval balloon is mainly used. However, the efficacies of these two devices have not been previously compared. Therefore, the present multicenter, prospective, randomized study was performed to compare the efficacies of these two devices for endoscopic biliary stone extraction.