Factors predicting failure following high bilio-enteric anastomosis for post-cholecystectomy benign biliary...

Failures following Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy (HJ) for post-cholecystectomy benign bile duct strictures (BBS) pose significant challenge. This study was aimed to find out the factors predicting failure after surgical repair in patients with BBS.

Between January 1989 and May 2007, 364 patients underwent Roux-en-Y HJ to the hilum for BBS. With a median follow-up of 61 (6-212) months, 334 (92%) patients had successful outcome and 30 (8%) had failure. A multivariate analysis was performed to find out the factors predicting failure.

Thirty patients who had failure became symptomatic after a median of 35 months (3 days-190 months) after surgical repair. Out of 30 patients, 11 (37%) were experiencing occasional episodes of cholangitis responding to antibiotics. All have patent anastomosis on nuclear scintigraphy and/or cholangiography. Cholangiogram demonstrated anastomotic stricture in 19/30 (63%) patients. Eighteen patients underwent re-intervention for re-strictures (nine--percutaneous balloon dilatation of the stricture, five--revision HJ, one--right hepatectomy, three--a combination of interventions). One patient refused to undergo a planned percutaneous balloon dilatation. Out of 18 patients, 12 (67%) had successful outcome following re-interventions. One patient who underwent revision HJ after a failed percutaneous balloon dilatation died in the immediate postoperative period. Preoperative bilirubin (p = 0.001), attempted bilio-enteric anastomosis before referral (0.004), cirrhosis (0.006), portal hypertension (p = 0.056), repair in the presence of external biliary fistula (0.000), and spontaneous bilio-enteric fistula (p = 0.011) were the factors found to be predicting failure of surgical repair on multivariate analysis.

Previous attempts of repair and delay in repair which predispose cirrhosis and portal hypertension may cause failure of surgical management in patients with BBS. In patients presenting with external biliary fistula, for a better outcome, surgical repair may be delayed till the fistula resolves.