Causes and Management of Bile Duct Injury during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy:Report of 36 Cases / 中国微创外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the causes of bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy and its treatment.Methods From January 1998 to February 2007,totally 8600 cases of LC were performed in our hospital.Bile duct injury occurred in 36 of them,among which,the common hepatic duct was cut in 20 cases,the common bile duct was severed in 4 patients,the common hepatic duct was cut and freed in 4;incomplete clipping of the common hepatic duct or common bile duct occurred in 3 and 1 cases respectively;3 cases had injury to the conjunction of the cystic duct and common hepatic duct;electrical burn injury happened in 1 patient.Thirty one of the injured cases were detected during the laparoscopic surgery,while the other five were found because of jaundice or biliary leakage.The patients received bile duct repair and T tube drainage(24),T tube drainage(4),Roux-en-Y bowel biliary anastomosis(4),bile duct anastomosis(1),or removal of the titanium clips after the accidents.Results One of the patients who received bile duct anastomosis developed biliary stenosis after the T tube was withdrawn in 2 months after the surgery,Roux-en-Y bowel biliary anastomosis was thus performed 3 months later.Two patients who underwent Roux-en-Y anastomosis developed anastomotic stenosis after the operation,and thus received a second anastomosis in 11 months.These 3 patients who received totally 3 operations,were followed up for 2 to 3 years,none of them developed cholangitis or biliary stones.One patient in this series had refractory cholangitis,jaundice,and liver function impairment,and was cured after 1-year anti-inflammation and liver support therapy.In the other 32 patients,an 8-to 36-month follow-up(mean,16 months) was achieved,during which none of them showed any complications.Conclusions Bile duct injury can be due to lacking experience and knowledge of the complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy,inappropriate enrollment of the patients,inaccurate operation,misuse of the surgical instruments,or being unable to discern the Calot's triangle.Strict indications for the operation,advanced training for young doctors,and appropriate timing for conversion to an open surgery are necessary to decrease the rate of bile duct injury.