Management of traumatic injuries to the extrahepatic biliary ducts

From 1978 through 1984, 13 patients with traumatic injuries to the extrahepatic biliary ducts were treated. Twelve of the 13 patients had penetrating wounds, and associated intraabdominal injuries were uniformly present. Multiple types of operative repair were successfully utilized, with the choice dictated by the patient's condition and the location and extent of the ductal injury. In stable patients with partial tears or small through-and-through injuries, lateral repair with or without T-tube stenting was used successfully. With ductal transections, an end-to-end anastomosis or a bilioenteric anastomosis was used. The Whipple procedure was reserved for complex periampullary injuries. Morbidity was related to the complexity of the ductal repair, whereas mortality (4 of 13 patients, 31 percent) was related to associated injuries.