Cystic Duct Stones Detected During Intraoperative Cholangiography in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Abstract: During intraoperative cholangiography, cystic duct stones were diagnosed in 79 of 898 consecutive patients (8.8%) who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy over a 45‐month period. The stones were successfully removed laparoscopically. In addition, it should be mentioned that the stones were identified and retrieved before the cholangiography was started in all but 8 of the 79 cases. Of these 79, only 27 cases (34.2%) had been diagnosed as having cystic duct stones preoperatively by intravenous cholangiography and/or endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that intraoperative cholangiography is mandatory to detect unsuspected retained stones not only in the common duct but also in the cystic duct during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and also provides vital information as to biliary anatomic variations, the proximity of the cystic duct to the common duct, and the confirmation of inadvertent bile duct injury.