Choledochocholedochostomy is successful in orthotopic liver transplantation.

The viability of the extrahepatic bile ducts of liver grafts depends on their arterial blood supply, and consequently, on the patency of the arterial anastomosis. Thrombosis of the hepatic artery leads almost inevitably to necrosis of the extrahepatic bile ducts of the liver graft. An impeccable technique of arterial anastomosis is essential to avoid biliary complications resulting from ischemia. The low incidence of biliary complications (17%) in our 31 patients indicates that choledocho-choledochostomy is a relatively safe biliary procedure in clinical liver transplantation, especially when compared with other commonly used biliary anastomoses.