Meng W, et al. - In this multicentre, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial, researchers identified the optimal dilation duration for the combination of endoscopic sphincterotomy and balloon dilation to remove common bile duct stones. Three thousand, seven hundred twenty-one consecutive patients with common bile duct stones were recruited between July 29, 2015, and December 1, 2017, of whom 1718 were excluded. The data presented in this work showed a balloon dilation time of 30 s for combined endoscopic sphincterotomy and balloon dilation decreased post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis frequency and was determined to be the optimal dilation time for removing common bile duct stones.