[Indications of transduodenal papillotomy for choledochal cyst]

The Choledochal Cyst is a dilatation of the biliary tract whose etiology is still under debate.

This paper analyzes the cases of our group an contributes on the indications of transduodenal papilotomy in the surgical treatment of this process.

Seven cases diagnosed as choledochal cysts are presented with mean age between 3 and 10 years (5 females and 2 males). Six cases were presented with abdominal pain, four with jaundice, three presented with biliary stones and one cases was a casual discovery during an US examination. In all cases US and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) were performed as preoperative work-up. In one case an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was made. In all cases intraoperative cholangiography was carried out. The surgical treatment was quistectomy and hepatico yeyunostomy Roux-Y in four cases; in one of them a transduodenal papilotomy was added. Cholecystectomy and transduodenal papilotomy was made in three cases, two of them presented choledocholithiasys.

All patients are symptoms free after a mean follow up period of 2 years and 3 months (range: 1 year and 6 months to 4 years and 10 months). In one case persists dilated choledochal distal stump on MRCP.