Strategies for the prevention of laparoscopic common bile duct injuries

There have been many recent reports regarding the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Common bile duct injury is considered the most significant complication. Regional tertiary centers are reporting a dramatic increase in the number of referrals for management of injuries to the common bile duct following laparoscopic cholecystectomy [22]. The high incidence of injuries has been attributed to problems inherent to the laparoscopic technique or to such secondary factors as inexperience, inadequate instruction, insufficient caution, or patient selection. In response to these numerous reports, the New York State Department of Health has recently implemented credentialing and privileging guidelines for laparoscopic surgery [11]. The purpose of this review is to assimilate the current literature on when and why common bile duct injuries occur in order to present possible strategies for their prevention.