Right liver necrosis: complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Although bile duct injuries are common among the complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, hepatic vascular injuries are not well described. Between January 1990 to December 1999, 83 patients with bile duct injuries have been referred to our clinic. Two of them had liver necrosis due to hepatic arterial occlusion. These two women had laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis in district hospitals 4 and 15 days prior to their referral to our clinic. Serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were found to be 30 to 40-fold higher than normal levels. Ultrasonography, computed tomography and Doppler sonography showed necrosis in the right liver lobe and no flow in the right hepatic artery. Patients were also complicated with liver abscess and biliary peritonitis, respectively. Emergency right hepatectomy was performed in both cases and one of them needed Roux-Y-hepaticojejunostomy (to the left hepatic duct). One patient died of peritonitis in the postoperative period. The other one has no problem in her third postoperative year. The earliest and the simplest method for diagnosis or ruling out hepatic arterial occlusion is detecting the blood biochemistry and Doppler ultrasonography. In some cases emergency hepatectomy can be necessary. Postoperative complications should be expected higher than elective cases.