A retrospective study on the role of postoperative choledochoscopy in the management of retained biliary calculi

A two-year retrospective study (January 1995 to December 1996) of 328 patients who underwent outpatient postoperative choledochoscopy is reported, 299 patients (91.2%) had retained biliary stones and 90 patients (30.1%) had stones located at the common bile duct. One hundred fourteen patients (46.8%) had primary stones. One hundred fourteen patients (38.1%) with multiple stones found at several locations required an average of 2 postoperative choledochoscopic sessions for complete clearance of biliary tree. Our overall clearance rate was 87 per cent. Only 8 patients (2.54%) had morbidities consisting of hemobilia and pain. (Author)