Intravenous cholangiography and the management of choledocholithiasis prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

The preoperative diagnosis of choledocholithiasis simplifies the laparoscopic management of biliary tract disease. Slow infusion intravenous cholangiography (SI-IVC) may be an accurate and cost-effective screening test for choledocholithiasis, and it is safer than traditional intravenous cholangiography. Forty-nine patients underwent SI-IVCs for suspected choledocholithiasis. These patients subsequently had endoscopic retrograde cholangiograms (ERC) or intraoperative cholangiograms (IOC) during laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Sixteen SI-IVCs demonstrated choledocholithiasis; 13 were confirmed by ERCs or by IOCs. The remaining 33 patients with negative SI-IVCs had negative ERCs or IOCs. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of detecting choledocholithiasis by SI-IVC were 100%, 92%, and 94%. Only one patient had a mild reaction to the contrast agent. In our hospital the cost of an SI-IVC is $324, the cost of an IOC is $393 (including operating room and anesthesia costs), and the cost of an ERC is $1,085. SI-IVC is an accurate method of preoperative screening for choledocholithiasis. It is safe and cost-effective.