Common bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Bile duct injury can occur more frequently during laparoscopic cholecystectomy than in open cholecystectomy. Three cases of common bile or hepatic duct injuries occurred in a series of eighty laparoscopic cholecystectomies; In case 1, the common bile duct was misidentified as the cystic duct. In case 2, bile peritonitis occurred on the fourth postoperative day caused by necrosis of the common hepatic duct involving the cautery surrounding it. In case 3, a bile leak occurred due to an incision at the confluence of the cystic and common duct. Dissection of the cystic duct at the infundibulum of the gallbladder, blunt dissection of the Calot's triangle, the handling of clips with special attention for safety were thought to be necessary in order to lower the risk of bile duct injury. Preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) is recommended to avoid bile duct injury.