Intraoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy is a reasonable option for complete single-stage minimally invasive biliary stones treatment: short-term experience with 57 patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

How to approach common bile-duct (CBD) stones discovered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is still a subject for debate. After sequential strategies, the natural trend is now towards single-stage therapy. The aim of this study was to establish the feasibility of intraoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy (IOES) when CBD stones are discovered or strongly suspected on intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) during LC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Out of a total of 2193 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, we reviewed 57 patients who, between 1991 and 1999, underwent IOES just after LC during the same anesthetic session. Under fluoroscopic guidance, one group of 32 patients (Dijon) underwent IOES in the prone position and a second group of 25 patients (Poitiers) in the left lateral position.

RESULTS

IOES was successful in all cases (100%). CBD stones were definitively found in 49 cases (86%) but retrieved or released into the duodenum after IOES in only 46 cases (46/49, 93.9%). The mean duration of the intraoperative endoscopic procedure was 28 minutes (range 15-75). The short-term complication rate was 7%. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.3 days (range 2-14).

CONCLUSIONS

IOES performed after LC during the same anesthetic session is feasible with low risk and with good results. It offers the opportunity to treat in one stage both cholecystolithiasis and choledocholithiasis without the need for surgical CBD exploration.