Intraoperative trans-gallbladder cholangiography intended to delineate bile duct anatomy

Intraoperative cholangiography has been recommended to lower the incidence and severity of biliary tract injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However a literature review of common bile duct (CBD) injuries does not appear to support this concept. Most cystic duct cholangiographies disclose the injury after the fact. This study was designed to compare the technical difficulties and complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in three groups of patients: Group 1 underwent intraoperative cholangiography through the gallbladder (n = 288), group 2 underwent intraoperative cholangiography through the cystic duct (n = 162), and group 3 did not undergo cholangiography (n = 227). Cholecystectomies were defined as "difficult" if there was a need to convert to open procedure in the absence of an accidental complication, or if estimated blood loss was over 100 ml, and/or if operating time was over 2 h. Difficult cholecystectomies were encountered in 34% of patients in group 2 and 28.2% of patients in group 3, but in only 7.6% of patients in group 1. Technical complications (bleeding, bile leak, common bile duct injury, retained common bile duct stones, false positive choledocholithiasis, pancreatitis, and trocar injuries) occurred in 11.7% of cases in group 2, 4.4% in group 3, and in only 1.4% of group 1. Intraoperative cholangiography performed through the gallbladder before any dissection was initiated significantly facilitated the operation and helped decrease the incidence of technical complications.