[Bilio-digestive fistulae of lithiasic origin. A report of seventeen cases (author's transl)].

17 spontaneous bilio-digestive fistulae of lithiasic origin have been regrouped for study. 15 cases underwent operation and represent 1.3% of concomitant biliary diseases treated by surgery. The different symptomatic aspects are considered; biliary disorders have been found in 50% of the cases; concurrently, the frequent occurrence of biological cholestasis along with lithiasis of the common bile duct is emphasized. Preoperative diagnosis is usually established on discovery of aerobilia sometimes revealed only by X rays centred on the upper-right quadrant of the abdomen. These fistulae are in most cases cholecystoduodenal. The serious consequences of surgical treatment of biliary lesions and suture of the digestive tract seem to be related to age, usually advanced. Particular study is devoted to endoscopy both towards diagnosis and, in certain cases, therapeutic.