Thermal laser-induced stenosis of the common bile duct. An alternative model for experimental research

An experimental model of bile duct stenosis and occlusion in dogs is presented. After percutaneous cholecystostomy of the gallbladder, which had been affixed to the abdominal wall during laparotomy four weeks earlier, a standard 2 mm laser heat probe adapted to an Nd:YAG laser (1,064 nm) was advanced inside the proximal common bile duct in 12 animals, using 6 or 7 F sheaths. The proximal part of the common bile duct was exposed to laser pulses of 6 to 10 Watts for one second. Within 3 to 15 days, total occlusion or severe stenosis of the common bile duct consistently occurred and was verified by follow-up percutaneous cholecystocholangiography. No perforations occurred. Compared with other models, laser thermal damage is an easy and reliable method of producing bile duct stenoses for experimental purposes.