Post-operative lesions of the common bile-duct. A cholangiographic investigation

Cholangiograms were reviewed of 190 patients with gall-bladder disease, who were consecutively operated upon with common bile-duct exploration during a 2.5-year period. Nine patients were excluded for various reasons. In 86 patients endoscopy of the duodenum was also performed after surgery. In 181 patients post-operative cholangiography revealed the following lesions, not found at the pre-explorative examinations: Fistula to the duodenum in 27, ulcers or sinus tracts in 11, ectasia and/or irregularities in another 11. In 17 patients retained calculi were found. The clinical significance of the iatrogenic lesions is probably low, but they must be recognized as such in order not to be radiologically misinterpreted.