Laparoscopic treatment of bile leakage from the Luschka duct after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

The possible reasons for bile leakage following laparoscopic cholecystectomy are the injury of the common bile duct, the insufficient treatment of cystic duct (non competent or non closing, or spontaneously removing clip, stumpnecrosis due to electrocoagulation near to clipp, rupture adjacent to the clipp) or the opening of an aberrant bile duct. The latter often may occur in case of the anatomic variation described by Hubert von Luschka (1820-1875) a German anatomist as the duct named after Luschka. In a favorable case the accessory bile duct closes by itself, but occasionally developing biloma and/or biliary peritonitis need to be operated on. The authors write about the case of a 52 years old female patient, who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and 3 days later the complication was averted through the application of relaparoscopy with intracorporal suture. In connection with this case the authors acquaint the readers with the biography, the academic carrier of Hubert von Luschka, and the literature related to Luschka duct is surveyed.