Laparoscopic therapy of choledocholithiasis]

In the period November 1991 to October 1993 altogether 418 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our unit. Routine intraoperative cholangiography, a prerequisite for diagnosing choledocholithiasis, was successful in 99.3% of cases. 38 patients were found to have common bile duct calculi and their management and follow up are reported in this study. In 36 cases stones were successfully eliminated by means of the laparoscopic procedure, via the cystic duct in 22 cases and by choledochotomy in 14 cases. One patient required postoperative endoscopic papillotomy, and in the remaining case surgical management was changed to classical laparotomy and open choledochotomy. Postoperative complications occurred in five cases. One patient suffering from bacterial peritonitis underwent laparotomy on the 9th postoperative day, another with postoperative bleeding from the cystic artery was relaparoscopied on the same day as the minimal invasive procedure. One patient developed a liver abscess three weeks after operation, requiring drainage with the aid of ultrasound. A superficial wound infection in one patient and biliary leakage after removal of the T-tube in another patient both healed spontaneously. Our results are similar to those obtained with other therapeutic concepts. Because the papilla of Vater remains intract in minimal invasive surgery, which causes relatively little stress to the patient, as well as considering the economic advantages of a single-step procedure, this management strategy can be recommended as a valuable alternative procedure.