Primary Closure Following Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Reexploration for the Patients Who Underwent Prior Biliary Operation

To assess feasibility of primary closure following laparoscopic common bile duct reexploration for the patients who underwent prior biliary operation, we retrospectively studied 50 patients with recurrent or residual common bile duct (CBD) stones who underwent laparoscopic biliary reoperation between June 2008 and June 2013. Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) was treated for all these patients and validated failed. They were divided into two groups. Primary closure following laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) was performed in 25 cases (group A); LCBDE plus T-tube drainage was performed in others (group B). The items of operation were compared. The duration of the operation in group A was shorter than that in group B (141 ± 85 vs 158 ± 71 min, p < 0.05), as was postoperative hospital stay (16 ± 2.3 vs 23 ± 2.3 h, p < 0.05) and the times of postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery (16 ± 2.3 vs 23 ± 2.3 h, p < 0.05). Just one duodenum was damaged in group B. Postoperative clinically significant bile leakage occurred in two patients in group A and one case in group B. The median follow-up was 18 months. No postoperative pancreatitis, postoperative bleeding, bile peritonitis after T-tube removal, stricture of bile duct, and death occurred in the two groups. Just two cases in group B were verified residual stones after 1 month. Primary closure following laparoscopic common bile duct reexploration for the patients who underwent prior biliary operation appears to be a minimally invasive, safe, feasible, and effective procedure when done by expert laparoscopic surgeons.