Value of Laparoscopic-assisted Cholangiography in the Diagnosis of Prolonged Jaundice in Infants / 中国微创外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the value of laparoscopic-assisted cholangiography in diagnosing prolonged jaundice in infants.Methods Through an umbilical troear,an laparoscope was placed into the abdominal cavity to detect the gallbladder and liver.After confirming that the choleeyst is normal,we pulled out the fundus of the gallbladder through the right subcostal trocar,and then inserted a catheter into the gallbladder for cholangiography.If the fundus could not be exteriorized because of gallbladder atresia, the patient would be converted to an open surgery.Results Cholangiography showed infant hepatitis syndrome or cholestasis in 8 cases,biliary hypoplasia in 2,and biliary atresia in 2.In 5 patients,the gallbladder was dissected from the liver bed before cholangiography,2 of them had biliary hypoplasia and 3 showed biliary atresia.Cholangiography was given up in 21 children because of liver cirrhosis.These patients were diagnosed with biliary atresia and then were treated by Kasai portoenterostomy. Conclusions Laparoscopic-assisted cholangiography is a simple,accurate,and safe method in the diagnosis of prolonged jaundice in infants.By using the procedure,the whole biliary tree can be shown clearly without leading to serious injuries.