Background: Post-cholecystectomy bile duct injury (BDI) is a serious complication that often requires surgical repair. This study aimed to analyze the outcomes of surgery performed for BDI and to determine the factors associated with post-surgical complications.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using a prospectively maintained database of 105 patients who underwent surgical repair for post-cholecystectomy BDI between March 2013 and March 2020. BDI was classified based on the Strasberg-Bismuth system, and the outcomes were graded using the McDonald criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the significant variables associated with postoperative complications.
Results: In a cohort of 105 patients with post-cholecystectomy BDI who underwent bilioenteric repair, 71 (67.6%), 25 (23.8%), 2 (1.9%), and 7 (6.7%) patients had excellent, good, fair, and poor outcomes, respectively, during a median follow-up of 64 months. The incidence of recurrent biliary stricture after definitive surgical hepaticojejunostomy was 6.7% (n = 7). The presence of cholangitis, choledochoduodenal fistula, and hilar biliary strictures was among the significant variables associated with the development of both short-term and long-term complications following surgery.
Conclusions: Surgical repair of BDIs with bilioenteric anastomosis can yield excellent results when managed in a tertiary care center where expertise in the reconstruction of the biliary tree is prioritized.
Keywords: benign biliary stricture; bile duct injury; bilioenteric repair; cholecystectomy; hepaticojejunostomy.
© 2021 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.