Cholescintigraphy in the diagnosis of the complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy

The Role of the Interventional Radiologist in Bile Leak Diagnosis and Management

Bile leaks are rare but potentially devastating iatrogenic or posttraumatic complications. This is being diagnosed more frequently since the advent of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and propensity toward nonsurgical management in select trauma patients. Timely recognition and accurate characterization of a bile leak is crucial for favorable patient outcomes and involves a multimodal imaging approach. Management is driven by the type and extent of the biliary injury and requires multidisciplinary cooperation between interventional radiologists, endoscopists, and hepatobiliary/transplant surgeons. Interventional radiologists have a vital role in both the diagnosis and management of bile leaks. Percutaneous interventional procedures aid in the characterization of a bile leak and in its initial management via drainage of fluid collections. Most bile leaks resolve with decompression of the biliary system which is routinely done via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography. Some bile leaks can be definitively treated percutaneously while others necessitate surgical repair. The primary principle of percutaneous management is flow diversion away from the site of a leak with the placement of transhepatic biliary drainage catheters. While this can be accomplished with relative ease in some cases, others call for more advanced techniques. Bile duct embolization or sclerosis may also be required in cases where a leaking bile duct is isolated from the main biliary tree.

Laparoscopic revisional hepaticojejunostomy for biliary stricture after open repair following common bile duct injury: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Incidence of bile duct injury has been reported more frequently following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

CASE REPORT

A 43-year-old female with a past medical history of laparoscopic cholecystectomy that was converted to open because of a common bile duct injury now presents with a stenosis at the hepaticojejunostomy that is causing recurrent cholangitis episodes. After the lysis of adhesions and dissection of the anastomotic area, a stricture was identified. The authors exposed and redid the hepaticojejunostomy with 4-0 Monocryl sutures without tension. The follow-up period was unremarkable. No leaks were documented, and the patient was discharged home on postoperative day 3.

CONCLUSION

After percutaneous or endoscopic procedure failure for the treatment of hepaticojejunostomy strictures, the laparoscopic redo anastomosis is safe and feasible when performed by surgeons who are strongly trained in advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Iatrogenic bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has largely replaced open cholecystectomy as the standard of care for gallbladder excision. A major disadvantage of this trend has been the increased incidence of bile duct injuries, which, while uncommon, are significantly higher with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Most injuries are not recognized at the time of surgery and present in a delayed fashion, leading to significant patient morbidity and a negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Treatment is governed by the time of presentation and the nature of the bile duct injury incurred and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Radiologists play a key role in management, with diagnosis of complications, accurate depiction of the biliary injury, and facilitating or providing definitive therapy depending on the type of injury.

Long-term changes in hepatobiliary physiology after Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy

Hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) is a common operation used to by-pass extrahepatic biliary obstructions and to establish biliary-enteric continuity after resections for benign and malignant diseases. Little is known about the effect of this procedure on hepatobiliary physiology. The aim of the present study was to investigate in a swine model the changes in biliary dynamics, bile composition, and hepatic histology induced by Roux-Y HJ. Twenty-four swine (57 (47 to 76) kg) underwent cholecystectomy, with HJ (Group I; n = 12) or without any biliodigestive anastomosis (Group II, n = 12), and were followed up for 6 or 12 mo by repeated weight scaling, blood, serum, and bile analysis, (99m)Technetium (Tc), diethyliminodiacetic acid (HIDA) dynamic biligraphy, and histological analysis. During follow-up, HJ was associated with less weight gain, colonization of the bile duct with aerobic bacteria Escherichia coli dominating (in 75% of the animals), a shortened hilum-intestine transit time but reduced liver clearance in dynamic biligraphy, and fibrous periportal changes in liver histology (in 50% of the animals). We conclude that during 1 y follow-up HJ with no anastomotic stricture formation is associated with improved extrahepatic bile drainage, but with ascending contamination of bile ducts with bacteria, which might be involved with the fibrous periportal changes in the liver resulting in diminished excretion of Tc-HIDA from the hepatocytes into the bile. The clinical significance of these changes, and the reduced weight gain observed is a topic of further investigations.

A Prospective Study of Bile Leaks after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Acute Cholecystitis

Surgeons are increasingly performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the setting of acute cholecystitis. The acutely inflamed gallbladder poses a more technically demanding dissection with potential for an increase in bile leak rates. Clinical and subclinical bile leak rates after laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy in the elective setting are known. This study prospectively evaluates the rate of clinical and subclinical bile leaks after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the setting of acute cholecystitis. One hundred patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis, as determined intraoperatively and by history, ultrasound, fever, or leukocytosis. On postoperative Day 1, the patients underwent cholescintigraphy (PIPIDA scan) analyzed by a board-certified radiologist for evidence of bile leaks. Postoperative cholescintigraphy revealed eight scans positive for bile leaks. Regardless of scan result, no patient experienced a clinically symptomatic bile leak. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and effective treatment for acute cholecystitis with acceptable clinical and subclinical bile leak rates.