Aetna has announced that, based on input from the AGA Institute and discussions with a number of gastroenterologists, it will not implement Clinical Policy Bulletin 0740 on April 1, 2008, as planned.

Common bile duct stones occur in 7-20% of all patients undergoing a gallstone operation and may complicate the course of surgery. Although intraoperative x-ray investigation was routinely performed to diagnose CBDS in the pre-laparoscopic era, its use during the laparoscopic era has been debated.

The use of an evidence-based sedation protocol for endoscopic procedures improves the quality of practice and reduces the incidence of sedation-related adverse events, according to an “AGA Institute Review of Endoscopic Sedation” published in the August issue of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.