The effect of concomitant vascular disruption in patients with iatrogenic biliary injuries.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To evaluate treatment results in iatrogenic biliary injuries with concomitant vascular injuries.

PATIENTS/

METHODS

Between January 1998 and May 2002 (inclusive), angiography was performed in 45 of the 105 patients treated for iatrogenic biliary tract injury. The charts of these 45 patients and 5 other patients in whom vascular injury was diagnosed at operation were evaluated retrospectively. Twenty-nine patients had concomitant vascular injury, the biliovascular injury group (BVI), and the remaining 21 patients had isolated biliary tract injury (IBTI).

RESULTS

The most frequent initial operation was a cholecystectomy. The frequency of high-level (Bismuth III or IV) strictures was 90% in the BVI group and 62% in the IBTI group ( P<0.05). Perioperative mortality was 7% in the BVI group and 5% in the IBTI group ( P>0.05). The morbidity in the BVI group was significantly higher ( P<0.05). Two patients in each group were lost to follow up. During a median (range) follow up of 31 months (5-51 months), a successful functional outcome was achieved in 96% of the BVI group and 100% of the IBTI group with a multimodal approach ( P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of high-level biliary injury and morbidity were significantly higher in the BVI group. However, concomitant vascular injury had no significant effect on mortality and medium-term outcome of biliary reconstruction. Thus, routine preoperative angiography is not recommended.