Treatment of retained common bile duct stones with monooctanoin infusion.

A prospective study of 53 consecutive patients with retained common bile duct stones, treated with monooctanoin infusion is presented. Overall good results were obtained in 58.6% of cases and poor in 41.4%. No abnormal levels of hepatic and pancreatic enzymes were observed. The main cause of failures was due to stones located in the intrahepatic tree. In the presence of pigmented stones or when their size exceeds 30 mm, monooctanoin infusion should be associated to other instrumental procedures. It is concluded that when intrabiliary infusion of monooctanoin is well tolerated, it is an effective alternative for treatment of retained common bile duct stones.