Outcome of 49 repairs of bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Treatment of bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is still under discussion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of end-to-end or biliodigestive anastomosis for various types of bile duct injury. Patient charts of 49 (0.81%) classified bile duct injuries from a national survey of 6076 laparoscopic cholecystectomies in The Netherlands were analyzed. The median follow-up after repair was 183 days (range 14-570 days). Statistical analysis showed that an end-to-end anastomosis was preferred by the surgeons for less severe bile duct injuries and a biliodigestive repair for more severe injuries. Three patients died owing to a delayed detected bile duct injury. Twelve bile duct strictures occurred after repair, leading to a stricture rate of 25%. The time elapsed between repair and occurrence of a stricture was 134 days (range 13-270 days). The type of repair or the severity of the bile duct injury did not determine the outcome of the repair. Histologically proved cholecystitis predisposed a stricture at the repair site. It was concluded that treatment of bile duct injuries is associated with a high stricture rate at the repair site of the anastomosis. End-to-end anastomosis is mostly successful for the less severe injury detected during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. For all other cases this repair can at least be considered a temporary internal drainage procedure. The biliodigestive anastomosis can best be considered a delayed repair after a drainage procedure has resolved the local inflammatory status.