Efficacy of cholangiography under helical computed tomography for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is known to be safe, the optimal imaging technique for examining the common bile duct and cystic duct prior to laparoscopic intervention remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cholangiography under helical computed tomography (helical CT cholangiography) for LC.

We studied 53 consecutive patients who underwent LC carried out by the same surgeon. The data of 23 of these patients who had undergone LC before the introduction of helical CT were used as the reference standard. Among the 53 patients, 28 were prospectively randomized for preoperative biliary tract evaluation with versus without helical CT cholangiography, into a CT/+ group (n = 13) and a CT/- group (n = 15), respectively. Two patients were excluded from the study preoperatively.

There were no significant differences in age or laboratory findings, including liver function tests or the serum amylase level before or after surgery, between the two groups. In the CT/- group, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography-related pancreatitis developed in one patient, and one patient required conversion to open surgery. In contrast, in the CT/+ group, there were no preoperative complications and no patient required conversion to open surgery. The mean operative time was significantly shorter in the CT/+ group than in the CT/- group (P = 0.0137).

These findings provide evidence to support the advantages of helical CT cholangiography in relation to operative time, conversion, and procedure-related preoperative complications.