Iatrogenic Injury of Biliary Tree-Single-Centre Experience

Cholecystolithiasis is among the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders requiring surgical intervention, and iatrogenic damage to the bile tree is a severe complication. We aimed to present the frequency of bile duct injuries and how our facility handles these complications. We retrospectively analyzed bile duct injuries in patients undergoing surgery. We concentrated on factors such as sex, age, indications for surgery, type of surgery, primary procedure, bile tree injury, repair, and timing as well as early and late complications. There were 22 cases of bile duct injury in the studied material, primarily affecting women-15 individuals (68.2%). Eleven cases (45.7%) of acute cholecystitis were the primary reason for surgery, and an injury to the common bile duct that extended up to 2 cm from the common hepatic duct was the most common complication (European Association for Endoscopic Surgery grade 2). Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was the most common repair procedure in 14 cases (63.6%). Eleven patients (50%) experienced early complications following reconstruction surgery, whereas five patients (22.7%) experienced late complications. An annual mortality rate of 22.7% (five patients) was observed. Iatrogenic bile duct injury is a severe complication of surgical treatment for cholecystolithiasis. Reconstruction procedures are characterized by high complication rates and high mortality.

Automated summary

Cholecystolithiasis is a common gastrointestinal disorder that often requires surgery, but it carries the risk of iatrogenic bile duct injury, which is a severe complication. In this study, we analyzed the frequency of bile duct injuries and how they were managed in our facility. We found that women were primarily affected, with acute cholecystitis being the main indication for surgery. The most common complication was injury to the common bile duct, and the most common repair procedure was Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. Early complications were experienced by half of the patients, and the overall mortality rate was 22.7%.