Hepatic vein injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: The unappreciated proximity of the middle hepatic vein to the gallbladder bed

Uncontrollable hemorrhage during laparoscopic cholecystectomy occurs in 0.1% to 1.9% of all cases, with 88% originating from the gallbladder bed. The anatomical proximity between major branches of the middle hepatic vein and the gallbladder bed, and hence the risk of intraoperative bleeding, is unclear. CT scans of 20 random patients were retrospectively reviewed to identify the closest distance between branches of the middle hepatic vein and the gallbladder bed. The vein diameter was also recorded. Risk factors for intraoperative bleeding during laparoscopic cholecystectomy were also retrospectively reviewed. Large branches (mean diameter=2.1 mm) of the middle hepatic vein are directly adjacent to the gallbladder bed in 10% of patients. An additional 10% of cases also possess branches within 1 mm of the gallbladder bed. Chronically scarred and contracted gallbladder disease may increase the risk of significant bleeding, requiring conversion. Twenty percent of all cases will display a large branch of the middle hepatic vein adherent or immediately adjacent to the gallbladder fossa. These patients are at increased risk for intraoperative bleeding. Furthermore, contracted gallbladders with evidence of chronic disease may be at increased risk for significant hemorrhage.