Cystic dilatation of the common bile duct in adults. Report of 4 cases

The authors report four cases of patients who presented congenital choledochal cysts. They discuss the incidence, classification, pathophysiology, diagnosis, clinical presentation and current treatment based in their own experiences and in a review of the literature on the subject.     

Metal clip as a nidus for formation of common bile duct stone following laparascopic cholecystectomy

A 83-year-old woman came to our hospital with fever up to 38.5 degrees C, abdominal pain and jaundice. She had undergone a cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstones in 1992. The endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed a dilated common bile duct with a free floating surgical clip with stone formation around this foreign body. After endoscopic sphincterotomy the extraction of the foreign body was successful. We found a two cm cholesterol stone the nidus of which was built by a Filshie-clip. The post endoscopic course was uneventful.     

Combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma growing into the common bile duct

Received: August 7, 2000 / Accepted: December 22, 2000     

A common bile duct web in association with common bile duct stone]

Webs are diagnosed by their characteristic appearance on imaging studies, typically appearing as thin, radiolucent rings with or without dilatation of the organ proximal to it. Like in other organs, the etiology of webs in the common bile duct is controversial. Some webs are thought to be congenital, whereas others occur in the presence of chronic inflammation, suggesting a pathogenic relationship. We report a case of a common bile duct septum in association with numerous large black pigment stones in a 62-year-old woman. The patient was treated by cholecystectomy with T-tube insertion.     

Primary closure of the common bile duct in open laparotomy for common bile duct stones

It is common these days to treat common bile duct (CBD) stones using endoscopic techniques. However, severe complications sometimes lead to death despite the great benefit of these techniques. If the patient has many and/or large stones, it can take considerable time for duct clearance, and this is associated with high costs. Therefore, we do not hesitate to choose surgical procedures when necessary. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of primary closure of the CBD in open laparotomy for CBD stones. Thirty-four patients with CBD stones were operated on by open laparotomy; primary closure was done in 17 patients (group PC), and T-tube insertion was done in 17 (group TT). We compared the patients' medical records, clinical features, laboratory data, complications, and postoperative hospital admission days. There were no significant intergroup differences in patients' medical records, clinical features, or laboratory data, except for the number of CBD stones. There were no differences in complications. All complications were minor and needed no extra care. The number of postoperative hospital admission days showed a significant difference: 18.3 days in group PC and 31.5 in group TT. There are so many methods to treat CBD stones now that the selection of the procedure can be important for the patient's benefit. We prefer primary closure, to get better quality of life postoperatively and to avoid further operations and any severe complications.     

Choledocholithiasis: a prospective study of spontaneous common bile duct stone migration

BACKGROUND: The rate of spontaneous migration of bile duct stones through the duodenal papilla is not well known. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) has been the standard method to diagnose bile duct stones, but accumulating data show there is a good agreement between ERC and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence and time course of stone migration in patients with bile duct stones by analyzing discrepancies between EUS and ERC as a function of the elapsed time between these two procedures. Stone migration was considered as the absence of stones at time of ERC regardless of the number of stones seen at EUS. METHODS: The main criterion for inclusion was the presence of bile duct stone as shown by EUS. Ninety-two consecutive patients were prospectively included in this study. RESULTS: Choledocholithiasis was absent at ERC in 12 patients. In univariate analysis, presence of gallbladder was significantly associated with an increased rate of stone migration (correction for multiple testing would remove this statistical significance). The size of the stone was the only independent factor to predict migration. CONCLUSION: Migration occurred in about 21% of cases within 1 month. Our study emphasizes the need to analyze carefully the results of comparative imaging studies of bile duct stones.