A mini-invasive approach to transduodenal sphincteroplasty

A right lumbar approach to the duodenum was developed to perform transduodenal sphinctero-plasty for the treatment of retained common bile duct stones. With experience, the procedure was reduced to a mininvasive approach. Nine patients with symptomatic choledocal stones were subjected to translumbar transduodenal sphincteroplasty. Eventually it became obvious that limited dissection was equally effective in exposure of pertinent anatomical structures and ease of performance. Four patients were intervened using the mini-invasive approach. In one instance the procedure was combined with laparoscopic cholecystectomy and cholangiogram. There was no mortality or morbidity and there was universal clearance of the common bile duct.