Biliary surgery via minilaparotomy--a limited procedure for biliary lithiasis

Cholelithiasis until now has been treated using solvents, lithotripsy via a biliary endoscope, laser or shock wave lithotripsy, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I have developed a new surgical treatment for cholelithiasis in which a cholecystectomy is performed through a minilaparotomy. This paper presents this new technique and discusses the principles of surgery for cholelithiasis using this technique. This procedure is performed by a 2 to 3 cm subcostal skin incision in the right hypochondrium. More than 400 patients were treated by this technique. This procedure is not different in terms of blood loss or operation time from conventional methods, and no significant complications have occurred. Intraoperative X-ray examination is performed routinely because of easy insertion of a tube from the cystic duct into the bile duct. Reduction of the length of the incision greatly facilitates postoperative recovery, shortening the hospital length-of-stay to within 3 days. The surgical manipulation of only a limited area of the upper abdomen is unlikely to induce postoperative syndromes, such as adhesions or ileus. Following this experience, a biliary drainage procedure based on cholangionmanomery and primary closure of the choledochotomy was introduced. This approach allowed even patients with choledocholithiasis to undergo a minilaparotomy and be discharged within one week.