Hepatobiliary scintigraphy. An effective tool in the management of bile leak following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

UNLABELLED: Bile leaks and bile duct injury has been the major postoperative complications described after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In this study, we evaluated the role of hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and there was a clinical suspicion of bile leak in postoperative period.

METHOD: Twenty-five patients (M/F=11:14, mean age 39+/-8 years; range 24-58 years) with suspected bile leak postlaparoscopic cholecystectomy underwent sequential HBS.

RESULTS

Thirteen patients had normal hepatobiliary scintigraphic studies. Five patients had small bile leak in gall bladder fossa with primary route of bile flow into the gut. All these 18 patients improved on conservative management alone. Significant bile leak from the cystic stump region was demonstrated in four patients. All of them were subjected to endoscopic cholangiography (ERCP), which confirmed the site of leak. All patients had stenting and sphincterotomy. One patient showed bile leak and obstruction at the lower end of common bile duct, he improved spontaneously. Another patient showed poor hepatocytes function and no excretion of radiotracer and underwent ERCP followed by hepaticojejunostomy for common hepatic duct ligation. One patient had frank bile leak in the right paracolic gutter and had to undergo hepaticojejunostomy.

CONCLUSIONS

HBS is a valuable noninvasive method of investigating possible bile leaks or other biliary disruptions in postlaparoscopic cholecystectomy patients. Negative study for significant bile leak can assure the surgeon to manage the patient conservatively. However, it cannot be relied on absolutely when determining the need for reoperation for a significant bile leak in early postoperative period.