[Imaging technics in the indications for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Echotomography and cholangiography compared]

March 1991 through October 1992, in the Clinica Chirurgica II of the Bologna University, 59 patients were submitted to laparoscopic cholecystectomy; the age range was 25 to 76 years and the mean 50 years. In no patient stones bigger than 35 mm were observed and 31% of the subjects were treated with litholysis before surgery. Fifty-eight patients were affected with single or multiple cholelithiasis, 1 had adenomyomatosis and 4 patients had associated choledocholithiasis treated with preoperative ERCP. Both US and cholangiography were performed to detect absolute contraindications--e.g., acute cholecystitis, cholangitis, peritonitis and cirrhosis--or relative contraindications--e.g., choledocholithiasis, > 5 mm stones and short cystic duct. US proved to be more sensitive than cholangiography to assess the number of stones and gallbladder wall thickness and to diagnose acute cholecystitis or scleroatrophic gallbladder, but it appeared to be less reliable in case of choledocholithiasis, where cholangiography was the technique of choice, and in possible anatomical variations--e.g., short cystic duct--which must be detected before laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Cholangiography appeared to be rather inadequate to study cholelithiasis when associated with functional gallbladder exclusion (as it happened in 17% of our patients). Intraoperative cholangiography was performed on 2 patients only, because their obesity hindered the preoperative study. In conclusion, the need is stressed of combining US and cholangiography for the accurate preoperative evaluation of gallbladder stones patients.