Do not get stumped: multimodality imaging findings of early and late post-cholecystectomy complications

Cholecystectomy is the most performed intra-abdominal surgical procedure in the US, with 1.2 million performed annually, and is predominantly performed laparoscopically. Although largely safe, laparoscopic cholecystectomy results in higher rates of abdominal symptoms consisting of abdominal pain and dyspepsia, which may persist or recur, collectively known as post-cholecystectomy syndrome. This article aims to (1) provide an overview of post-cholecystectomy syndrome with an emphasis on biliary complications and emergent imaging findings, (2) illustrate the spectrum of imaging findings of early and late post-cholecystectomy complications, (3) enumerate the role of various imaging modalities in evaluating post-cholecystectomy complications and address the role of selective trans-catheter coil embolization in managing bile leaks, and (4) discuss pearls and pitfalls in imaging following cholecystectomy. While common first-line imaging modalities for post-cholecystectomy complications include CT and sonography, ERCP and MRCP can delineate the biliary tree with greater detail. Scintigraphy has a higher sensitivity and specificity than CT or sonography for diagnosing bile leak and may preclude the need for ERCP. Post-operative complications include biliary duct injury or leak, biliary obstruction, remnant gallbladder/cystic duct stones and inflammation, biliary dyskinesia, papillary stenosis, and vascular injury. Subtle cases resulting in lethal outcomes, such as hemorrhage from the gallbladder bed without major vessel injury, have also been described. Cases presented will include biliary complications such as post-cholecystectomy stump cholecystitis, nonbiliary complications such as subcapsular hematoma, and normal post-surgical findings such as oxidized regenerated cellulose. Post-operative biliary complications can cause significant morbidity and mortality, and thus familiarity with the expected post-surgical appearance of the gallbladder fossa and biliary tract, as well as understanding the spectrum of complications and associated multimodality imaging findings, are essential for emergency radiologists and those practicing in the acute care setting to direct appropriate patient management. Furthermore, many of the postoperative complications can be managed by noninvasive percutaneous interventional procedures, from drain placement to cystic artery and cystic duct stump embolization.