[Nonobstructive residual mucocele of the cystic duct. Reassessment of complications in our 13 years' experience with liver transplantation]. / Mucocele del dotto cistico residuo non ostruttivo. Rivalutazione della complicanza negli ultimi 13 anni della nostra esperienza nei trapianti del fegato.

PURPOSE: We reassessed the incidence of mucocele of the residual cystic duct in our series of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined a series of 283 liver transplants with end-to-end choledocho-choledocal anastomosis (263 patients, 163 men and 80 women, 24-65 years old), performed at the II Surgical Department of the University of Bologna from May 1986 to April 1999 and subsequently followed-up in our Institute. All patients were examined with gray-scale and color Doppler US and some also underwent CT and CT cholangiography. RESULTS: An anechoic ovoidal structure just before the portal vein and in proximity of the main bile duct was found in 13 patients. US and CT findings, the latter when available, led us to make a diagnosis of nonobstructive mucocele of the cystic duct. The radiological diagnosis was eventually confirmed by clinical and surgical findings. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: In our series the incidence of this complication was 4.5%, a slightly higher value than those reported in the literature. Cystic duct mucocele cannot be considered an uncommon complication and should thus be more carefully searched for by operators. In our experience this complication never required reoperation for cholestasis.