Gallstone size related to incidence of post cholecystectomy retained common bile duct stones

Is there a role for routine intraoperative cholangiogram in diagnosing CBD stones in patients with normal liver function tests? A prospective study

Objectives

Cholecystectomy with or without intraoperative cholangiogram (IOC) is an accepted treatment for cholelithiasis. Up to 11.6 % of cholecystectomies have incidental common bile duct (CBD) stones on IOC and 25.3 % of undiagnosed CBD stones will develop life-threatening complications. These will require additional intervention after primary cholecystectomy, further straining the healthcare system. We seek to examine the role of IOC in patients with normal LFTs by evaluating its predictive values, intending to treat undiagnosed CBD stones and therefore ameliorate these issues.

Methods

All patients who underwent cholecystectomies with normal LFTs from October 2019 to December 2020 were prospectively enrolled. IOC was done, ERCPs were performed for filling defects and documented as "true positive" if ERCP was congruent with the IOC. "False positives" were recorded if ERCP was negative. "True negative" was assigned to normal IOC and LFT after 2 weeks of follow-up. Those with abnormal LFTs were subjected to ERCP and documented as "false negative". Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated.

Results

A total of 180 patients were analysed. IOC showed a specificity of 85.5 % and a NPV of 88.1 % with an AUC of 73.7 %. The positive predictive value and sensitivity were 56.5 and 61.9 % respectively.

Conclusions

Routine IOC is a specific diagnostic tool with good negative predictive value. It is useful to exclude the presence of CBD stones when LFT is normal. It does not significantly prolong the length of hospitalization or duration of the cholecystectomy hence reducing the incidence of undetected retained stones and preventing its complications effectively.

Gallstone Pancreatitis Post Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Case Report

Gallstone pancreatitis is uncommon after laparoscopic cholecystectomy with minimal cases reported in the literature. We report a case of a 38-year-old female who developed gallstone pancreatitis three weeks after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient presented to the emergency department with a two-day history of severe right upper quadrant and epigastric pain radiating to her back with associated nausea and vomiting. The patient had elevated total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lipase. The patient's preoperative abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), prior to her cholecystectomy, were negative for common bile duct stones. However, it is important to note that common bile duct stones are not always visible on ultrasound, MRI, and MRCP prior to cholecystectomy. In our patient, an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) revealed gallstones in the distal common bile duct, which were removed with biliary sphincterotomy. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery. It is important for physicians to have a high index of suspicion for gallstone pancreatitis in a patient with epigastric pain radiating to the back with a known history of recent cholecystectomy, as this is a diagnosis that can be missed due to its infrequent occurrence.

A retrospective analysis of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography investigating gallstones in a contemporary surgical setting

BACKGROUNDS

The New Zealand Public Health System operates in a resource limited environment. Pre-operative investigation of choledocholithiasis (CDL) is variable. Protocol driven practice has improved patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness. The aim is to explore risk stratification for CDL and specific thresholds for accessing magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in this contemporary setting.

METHODS

All adult (16+ years) acute inpatient MRCP requests for gallstone work-up between 1 Jan 2018 and 2031 Dec 2019 at Dunedin Hospital were included. Patients with characteristics not in fitting with an acute symptomatic examination were excluded. Receiver operating characteristic curves were estimated for bilirubin versus MRCP positive by the presence/absence of dilated ducts, indication and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) risk grouping.

RESULTS

A 106 patients were included. Mean bilirubin at presentation and time of MRCP, 47 versus 28 μmol/L, respectively. MRCP confirmed CDL in 39 (37%) patients. 38 (97%) had biochemical changes with choledocholithiasis. 21 (40%) with CBD dilation had ductal stones versus 18 (34%) with normal ducts. ASGE risk stratification showed 36 (34%), 66 (62%) and 4 (4%) were high, intermediate and low risk, respectively. Of these groups 44%, 35% and 0% had CBD stones on MRCP, respectively. Combination thresholds involving duct size and bilirubin can yield negative predictive values >90%, substantially reducing MRCP load.

CONCLUSIONS

MRCP requests can be triaged to maximize stones detected without overly increasing the rate of missed duct stones whilst protecting the limited MRI and ERCP resources. International thresholds and risk stratification alone may not be applicable in our resource limited environment.

Risk Factors for Early Recurrence of Gallstones in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopy Combined With Choledochoscopic Lithotomy: A Single-Center Prospective Study

Objective: For patients with gallstones, laparoscopy combined with choledochoscopic lithotomy is a therapeutic surgical option for preservation rather than the removal of the gallbladder. However, postoperative recurrence of gallstones is a key concern for both patients and surgeons. This prospective study was performed to investigate the risk factors for early postoperative recurrence of gallstones.

Methods: The clinical data of 466 patients were collected. Each patient was followed up for up to 2 years. The first follow-up visit occurred 4 months after the operation, and a follow-up visit was carried out every 6 months thereafter. The main goal of each visit was to confirm the presence or absence of gallbladder stones. The factors associated with gallstone recurrence were analyzed by univariate analysis and Cox regression.

Results: In total, 466 eligible patients were included in the study, and 438 patients (180 men and 258 women) completed the 2-year postoperative follow-up. The follow-up rate was 94.0%. Recurrence of gallstones was detected in 5.71% (25/438) of the patients. Univariate analysis revealed five risk factors for the recurrence of gallstones. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that multiple gallstones, a gallbladder wall thickness of ≥4 mm, and a family history of gallbladder stones were the three predictive factors for postoperative recurrence of gallstones (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The overall 2-year recurrence rate of gallstones after the operation was 5.71%. Multiple gallstones, a gallbladder wall thickness of ≥4 mm, and a family history of gallstones were the three risk factors associated with early postoperative recurrence of gallstones.

The Bad Gallbladder

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a common operation; approximately 20 million Americans have gallstones, the most common indication. Surgeons who operate on the biliary tree must be familiar with the presentations and treatment options for acute and chronic biliary pathology. We focus on the difficult "bad" gallbladder. We explore the available evidence as to what to do when a gallbladder is too inflamed, too technically challenging, or a patient is too sick to undergo standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We discuss whether or not open cholecystectomy is a relevant tool and what can be done to manage common bile duct stones found unexpectedly intraoperatively.

Management of Postcholecystectomy Complications

Cholecystectomy is one of the most common general surgery procedures performed worldwide. Complications include bile duct injury, strictures, bleeding, infection/abscess, retained gallstones, hernias, and postcholecystectomy syndrome. Obtaining a critical view of safety and following the other tenets of the Safe Cholecystectomy Task Force will aid in the prevention of bile duct injury and other morbidity associated with cholecystectomy.

Dual common bile duct examination with transcystic choledochoscopy and cholangiography in laparoscopic cholecystectomy for suspected choledocholithiasis: a prospective study

BACKGROUND

Detection of common bile duct (CBD) stones is a major objective of intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We evaluated the feasibility and safety of the routine use of transcystic choledochoscopy following IOC (dual common bile duct examination: DCBDE), which may improve the diagnostic accuracy of CBD stones and facilitate one-stage clearance, in LC for suspected choledocholithiasis.

METHODS

Between May 2017 and November 2018, 38 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis were prospectively enrolled in this study, regardless of whether they underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy. Transcystic choledochoscopy was routinely attempted following IOC in LC.

RESULTS

Five cases were excluded due to cholecystitis, bile duct anomaly, or liver cirrhosis. DCBDE was performed in the remaining 33 patients. The biliary tree was delineated by IOC in all patients. Subsequently, choledochosope was performed in 32 patients except for one who was found to have pancreaticobiliary malunion in IOC. The scope was successfully passed into the CBD in 25 (78.1%) patients. Choledochoscopy detected 3 (9.4%) cases of cystic duct stones and 4 (12.5%) cases of CBD stones which were not identified by IOC. All those stones were removed via cystic duct. There were no intra- and postoperative complications, except for two cases of wound infection and one case of a transient increase in serum amylase.

CONCLUSIONS

DCBDE in LC is a safe and promising approach for intraoperative diagnosis and one-stage treatment of suspected choledocholithasis.

Migration of Surgical Clips into the Common Bile Duct after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is currently the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstones. Associated complications include bile duct injury, retained common bile duct (CBD) stones, and migration of surgical clips. Clip migration into the CBD can present with recurrent cholangitis over a period of time. Retained CBD stones can be another cause of recurrent cholangitis. A case of two surgical clips migrating into the common bile duct with few retained stones following LC is reported here. The patient had repeated episodes of fever, pain at epigastrium, jaundice, and pruritus 3 months after LC. Liver function tests revealed features of obstructive jaundice. Ultrasonography of the abdomen showed dilated CBD with few stones. In view of acute cholangitis, an urgent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was done, which demonstrated few filling defects and 2 linear metallic densities in the CBD. A few retained stones along with 2 surgical clips were removed successfully from the CBD by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography after papillotomy using a Dormia basket. The patient improved dramatically following the procedure.

Who experiences endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstone disease?

Purpose

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become a standard treatment of symptomatic gallstone disease. But, some patients suffer from retained common bile duct stones after LC. The aim of this study is to analyze the predicting factors associated with subsequent postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) after LC.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed a database of every LC performed between July 2006 and September 2012. We classify 28 patients who underwent ERCP within 6 months after LC for symptomatic gallstone disease as the ERCP group and 56 patients who underwent LC for symptomatic gallstone disease during same period paired by sex, age, underlying disease, operation history, and body mass index as the control group. To identify risk factor performing postoperative ERCP after LC, we compared admission route, preoperative biochemical liver function test, number of gall stones, gallstone size, adhesion around GB, wall thickening of GB, and existence of acute cholecystitis between the 2 groups.

Results

Admission route, preoperative AST, ALT, and ALP, stone size, longer operation time, and acute cholecystitis were identified as risk factors of postoperative ERCP in univariate analyses. But, longer operation time (P = 0.004) and acute cholecystitis (P = 0.048) were identified as independent risk factors of postoperative ERCP in multivariate analyses.

Conclusion

The patient who underwent ERCP after LC for symptomatic gallstone disease are more likely experienced longer operation time and acute cholecystitis than the patient who did not undergo ERCP after LC.

A Prediction Rule for Risk Stratification of Incidentally Discovered Gallstones: Results From a Large Cohort Study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

No one knows exactly what proportion of gallstones cause clinical events among subjects unaware of their gallstone status. We investigated the long-term occurrence of clinical events of gallstones and associations between ultrasound observations and clinical events.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 3 randomly selected groups in the general population of urban Copenhagen (age, 30-70 y) participating in an international study of cardiovascular risk factors (the Multinational mONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease study). In this study, participants (n = 6037) were examined from 1982 through 1994, and underwent abdominal ultrasound examinations to detect gallstones. Our study population comprised 664 subjects with gallstones; subjects were not informed of their gallstone status. Participants were followed up for clinical events through central registers until December 31, 2011. Independent variables included ultrasound characteristics, age, sex, comorbidity, and female-associated factors, which were analyzed using Cox regression.

RESULTS

Study participants were followed up for a median of 17.4 years (range, 0.1-29.1 y); 99.7% of participants completed the study. A total of 19.6% participants developed events (8.0% complicated and 11.6% uncomplicated). Ten percent had awareness of their gallstones; awareness was associated with uncomplicated and complicated events. Stones larger than 10 mm were associated with all events (hazard ratio [HR], 2.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.45-3.69), acute cholecystitis (HR, 9.49; 95% CI, 2.05-43.92), and uncomplicated events (HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.38-4.71), including cholecystectomy (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.29-5.60). Multiple stones were associated with all events (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.00-2.81), complicated events (HR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.05-6.04), and common bile duct stones (HR, 11.83; 95% CI, 1.54-91). There was an association between gallstones more than 5 years old and acute cholecystitis. Female sex was associated with all and uncomplicated events. We found a negative association between participant age and all events, uncomplicated events, and acute cholecystitis. Comorbidities and female-associated factors (intake of birth control pills or estrogens and number of births) were not associated with events. Compared with men with a single stone of 10 mm or smaller (reference), women with multiple stones greater than 10 mm had the highest risk for events (HR, 11.05; 95% CI, 3.76-32.44; unadjusted absolute risk, 0.0235 events/person-years).

CONCLUSIONS

Fewer than 20% of subjects with gallstones develop clinical events. Larger, multiple, and older gallstones are associated with events. Further studies are needed to confirm the prediction rules.