[Surgical reconstruction of post-cholecistectomy cicatricial biliary stenosis]

To evaluate a series of cases of cicatricial stenosis of the biliary tract after cholecystectomy undergoing surgical reconstruction.

We conducted a retrospective study with 27 patients who underwent surgical reconstruction of the biliary tree for cicatricial stenosis. We analyzed the type of cholecystectomy that resulted in injury, age, gender, signs and symptoms, time of diagnosis, early or late, presence of previous surgery in an attempt to reconstruct the biliary tree, classification of stenosis and type of operation used for treatment of the injury.

Twenty-six injuries occurred during a laparotomy and one during laparoscopy. Sixteen (59%) lesions were diagnosed intraoperatively or within the first postoperative day, seven (26%) havinh been submitted to reoperation at the local hospital, with poor results; nine patients in this group (33%) had no reoperation. Eleven patients (41%) had the classic form of cicatricial stenosis, without apparent intraoperative accidents and late development of biliary obstruction. All patients underwent Roux-en-Y hepatic-jejunal anastomosis; in two cases the right and left hepatic ducts were implanted separately in the excluded jejunal loop. Twenty-six patients (96.3%) had no early complications; one patient had biliary fistula and died. One patient presented with stenosis recurrence, secondary cirrhosis and is awaiting liver transplantation.

Most injuries were diagnosed during cholecystectomy within the first postoperative days; seven patients had been reoperated in an attempt to reconstruct the biliary tract. Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy proved safe and effective in draining the bile duct in the short and long term.