Treatment of residual common bile duct stones after cholecystectomy.

This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of "open" residual common bile duct stones after cholecystectomy to establish predisposing factors and possible alternative treatments. Correct diagnosis of choledocholithiasis before or during surgery, adequate exploration of the common bile duct, and suitable selection of technical procedures are the most important points in preventing retained CBD stones. If these occur, an adequate alternative treatment may prove helpful. Classical "clysis" of the bile duct is least recommended because of its high failure rate. The best method of chemical dissolution seems to be the use of mono-octanoin with 60% good results and a no-response rate of 30-40%. Instrumental extraction has been reported to be very successful (80-98%). Endoscopic sphincterotomy is currently the most frequently employed procedure for retained CBD stones, especially in poor risk patients. The reported success rate is 82-93% according to literature, with an extremely low mortality (0.2%). Reoperation should be resorted to only if all the other methods fail. Sphincteroplasty or choledochoduodenostomy, whenever indicated, are good alternative operations, with a mortality rate of approx. 3.5%.