BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Understanding the normal anatomy and size of the extrahepatic biliary tree is vital for surgeons to make informed decisions regarding the necessity of additional procedures beyond cholecystectomy. The extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) comprises the common hepatic duct (CHD) and the common bile duct (CBD), with the former formed by the convergence of the right and left hepatic ducts and the latter extending from the CHD to the duodenum. A normal diameter is indicative of the absence of any signs of obstruction in the EHBD, and the determination of the average range for these ducts are essential for identifying pathologies that may require further surgical intervention. Cholecystolithiasis is a common condition managed at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Trans-abdominal ultrasonography is frequently utilized to diagnose cholecystolithiasis, and it can also be used to determine the size of the common bile duct. Knowledge of the normal CBD diameter aids clinicians in distinguishing obstructed bile ducts from normal ones, prompting further diagnostic tests for improved patient management. However, there is limited data on the average diameter of the CBD among Filipino patients with this condition. The study aimed to determine the mean diameter of the common bile duct and common hepatic duct among patients diagnosed with cholecystolithiasis with no signs of obstruction in the EHBD managed at the Philippine General Hospital.

This prospective cross-sectional study included 80 patients who underwent cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiography. The CBD and CHD diameters were measured using intraoperative ultrasonography, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test.

The mean diameter of the CBD was 5.17 mm, with a range of 2.7-10 mm (1.41) mm. The mean diameter of the CHD was 4.71 mm, with a range of 2.3- 10 mm (1.59) mm. There was no significant difference in the CBD and CHD diameters between male and female patients, and across different age groups.

In patients with cholecystolithiasis managed at the PGH, the mean diameter of the CBD and the CHD was 5.17 mm and 4.71 mm, respectively, with no significant difference between genders and age groups. The mean diameter of the CBD among Filipino patients with cholecystolithiasis is similar to those reported in other countries. These findings may have clinical implications for the management of patients with cholecystolithiasis, particularly in the planning of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Further studies with larger sample sizes and different populations are recommended to validate these results. These findings can aid clinicians in determining the need for pre-operative Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) or selective intraoperative cholangiography to detect extrahepatic bile duct obstruction.

Background and Objective: Understanding the normal anatomy and size of the extrahepatic biliary tree is vital for surgeons to make informed decisions regarding the necessity of additional procedures beyond cholecystectomy. The extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) comprises the common hepatic duct (CHD) and the common bile duct (CBD), with the former formed by the convergence of the right and left hepatic ducts and the latter extending from the CHD to the duodenum. A normal diameter is indicative of the absence of any signs of obstruction in the EHBD, and the determination of the average range for these ducts are essential for identifying pathologies that may require further surgical intervention. Cholecystolithiasis is a common condition managed at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Trans-abdominal ultrasonography is frequently utilized to diagnose cholecystolithiasis, and it can also be used to determine the size of the common bile duct. Knowledge of the normal CBD diameter aids clinicians in distinguishing obstructed bile ducts from normal ones, prompting further diagnostic tests for improved patient management. However, there is limited data on the average diameter of the CBD among Filipino patients with this condition. The study aimed to determine the mean diameter of the common bile duct and common hepatic duct among patients diagnosed with cholecystolithiasis with no signs of obstruction in the EHBD managed at the Philippine General Hospital. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 80 patients who underwent cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiography. The CBD and CHD diameters were measured using intraoperative ultrasonography, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test. Results: The mean diameter of the CBD was 5.17 mm, with a range of 2.7-10 mm (1.41) mm. The mean diameter of the CHD was 4.71 mm, with a range of 2.3- 10 mm (1.59) mm. There was no significant difference in the CBD and CHD diameters between male and female patients, and across different age groups. Conclusion In patients with cholecystolithiasis managed at the PGH, the mean diameter of the CBD and the CHD was 5.17 mm and 4.71 mm, respectively, with no significant difference between genders and age groups. The mean diameter of the CBD among Filipino patients with cholecystolithiasis is similar to those reported in other countries. These findings may have clinical implications for the management of patients with cholecystolithiasis, particularly in the planning of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Further studies with larger sample sizes and different populations are recommended to validate these results. These findings can aid clinicians in determining the need for pre-operative Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) or selective intraoperative cholangiography to detect extrahepatic bile duct obstruction.
Common Bile Duct ; Cholecystolithiasis

Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in the treatment of common bile duct stones. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted for 158 patients with cholecystolithiasis and choledocholithiasis admitted to the Number One Hospital of Zhangjiakou from January 2015 to December 2019.The patients were assigned into three groups according to the diameters of cystic duct and common bile duct,degrees of abdominal infection and tissue edema,and operation method.Group A(16 cases):laparoscopic cholecystectomy,transcystic choledochoscopic exploration for stone removal;Group B(94 cases):laparoscopic cholecystectomy,common bile duct incision exploration combined with choledochoscopy for stone removal,T tube drainage;Group C(48 cases):laparoscopic cholecystectomy,common bile duct incision exploration combined with choledochoscopy for stone removal,primary closure of the common bile duct.The operation time,residual rate of stones,and complication(bleeding,bile leakage,and wound infection) rate were compared between groups. Results The operation time of groups A,B,and C was(95.1±14.7),(102.2±18.1),(110.1±16.4) minutes,respectively,which showed no statistical difference between each other(F=0.020,P=0.887).One case in group A had residual stones,while no residual stone appeared in groups B and C.The overall stone clearance rate was 99.4% and the overall complication rate was 1.9%.There was no perioperative death. Conclusion It is generally safe and effective to carry out laparoscopic cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration for stone removal in suitable populations.
Choledocholithiasis/surgery* ; Common Bile Duct/surgery* ; Gallstones/surgery* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies

Ampulla of Vater/pathology* ; Carcinoma/pathology* ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility and efficacy of laparoscopic transcystic drainage and common bile duct exploration in the treatment of patients with difficult biliary stones. METHODS: Between April 2020 and December 2021, eighteen patients with difficult biliary stones received laparoscopic transcystic drainage (C-tube technique) and common bile duct exploration. The clinical characteristics and outcomes were retrospectively collected. The safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic transcystic drainage and common bile duct exploration were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the eighteen patients with difficult biliary stones, thirteen patients received traditional laparoscopic transcystic drainage, and the remaining five received modified laparoscopic transcystic drainage. The mean surgical duration were (161±59) min (82-279 min), no bile duct stenosis or residual stone was observed in the patients receiving postoperative cholangiography via C-tube. The maximum volume of C-tube drainage was (500±163) mL/d (180-820 mL/d). Excluding three patients with early dislodgement of C-tube, among the fifteen patients with C-tube maintained, the median time of C-tube removal was 8 d (5-12 d). The duration of hospital stay was (12±3) d (7-21 d) for the 18 patients. Five C-tube related adverse events were observed, all of which occurred in the patients with traditional laparoscopic transcystic drainage, including two abnormal position of the C-tube, and three early dislocation of the C-tube. All the 5 adverse events caused no complications. Only one grade one complication occurred, which was in a patient with modified laparoscopic transcystic drainage. The patient demonstrated transient fever after C-tube removal, but there was no bile in the drainage tube and the subsequent CT examination confirmed no bile leakage. The fever spontaneously relieved with conservative observation, and the patient recovered uneventfully with discharge the next day. All the 18 patients were followed up for 1-20 months (median: 9 months). Normal liver function and no recurrence of stone were detected with ultrasonography or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). CONCLUSION Laparoscopic transcystic drainage combined with common bile duct exploration is safe and feasible in the treatment of patients with difficult biliary stones. The short-term effect is good. Modified laparoscopic transcystic drainage approach may reduce the incidence of C-tube dislocation and bile leak.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures/adverse effects* ; Gallstones/etiology* ; Drainage/methods* ; Laparoscopy/adverse effects* ; Common Bile Duct/surgery*

Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Common Bile Duct ; Humans ; Mirizzi Syndrome/surgery*

Extrahepatic biliary tract tumors are rare and among them rhabdomyosarcoma is most common. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a soft tissue malignant musculoskeletal tumor and is a very rare malignancy of the common bile duct in children. It usually presents as obstructive jaundice and/or pruritus. If there is no local invasion to the adjacent tissues, the radiological appearance of the tumor lesion is like a choledochal cyst. So the diagnosis is usually made at surgery or by preoperative biopsy. It is important to diagnose early and differentiate it from choledochal cyst and start treatment as early as possible for long time survival of the patient. This case report presented a case of a 10-year-old boy with recurrent onset of obstructive jaundice and fever preoperatively who was diagnosed as choledochal cyst and postoperatively as embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the common bile duct. After surgical resection and postoperative chemotherapy, the child had a good prognosis. So it is crucial to know that this rare tumor can mimic congenital choledochal cyst and it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice in children.
Child ; Choledochal Cyst ; Common Bile Duct/pathology* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive/etiology* ; Male ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal/diagnosis*

Endobiliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a procedure performed widely to induce locoregional tumor control by the transfer of thermal energy to the lesion and subsequent tumor necrosis. A 72-year-old male with a prior history of acute calculous cholangitis and perforated cholecystitis was admitted to the Kyungpook National University Hospital complaining of fever and nausea. He had an indwelling percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) catheter from the previous episode of perforated cholecystitis. An abdominal CT scan showed marked dilation of both the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. Common bile duct cancer was confirmed histologically after an endobiliary biopsy. A surgical resection was considered to be the initial treatment option. During open surgery, multiple metastatic nodules were present in the small bowel mesentery and anterior abdominal wall. Resection of the tumor was not feasible, so endobiliary RFA was performed prior to biliary stenting. Cholecystectomy was required for the removal of the PTGBD catheter, but the surgical procedure could not be performed due to a cystic ductal invasion of the tumor. Instead, chemical ablation of the gallbladder (GB) with pure ethanol was performed to breakdown the GB mucosa. Palliative treatment for a biliary obstruction was achieved successfully using these procedures. In addition, a PTGBD catheter was removed successfully without significant side effects. As a result, an improvement in the patient's quality of life was accomplished.
Abdominal Wall ; Aged ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Biopsy ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Drainage ; Ethanol ; Fever ; Gallbladder ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Mesentery ; Mucous Membrane ; Nausea ; Necrosis ; Palliative Care ; Quality of Life ; Stents ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: To distinguish the endoscopic and clinical features of ampullary polyps, to investigate the endoscopic cancer risk factors of ampullary polyps based on the compared differences of benign lesions and adenocarcinoma, and to assess the accuracy of forceps biopsy. METHODS: Authors retrospectively analyzed the data extracted from patients treated with endoscopic papillectomy (EP) from January 2009 to May 2019 in the Department of Gastroenterology, Peking University Third Hospital. Endoscopic pictures and pathology reports were reevaluated and analyzed. Differences between benign and cancer groups were conducted. RESULTS: In the study, 42 cases were involved, 35 to 83 years old, containing 83.3% older than 50 years old patients. The histological types were as follows, 2 for inflammatory polyps (4.8%), 1 for neuroendocrine tumor (2.4%), 1 for hyperplastic polyp (2.4%), 5 for grade Ⅰ adenoma (11.9%), 10 for grade Ⅱ adenoma (23.8%), 4 for grade Ⅲ adenoma (9.5%) and 19 for adenocarcinoma (45.2%), and 90.5% were adenoma or adenocarcinoma. The average age of benign group (inflammatory polyps and adenomas) was (56.7±9.2), which was significantly younger than that of adenocarcinoma group [(66.0±9.8), P=0.004]. Tumor diameter in adenocarcinoma group[(2.3±0.8) cm] was significantly larger than that in benign group[(1.6±0.6) cm, P=0.002]. Benign lesions only showed Yamada type Ⅰ(57.1%)and type Ⅱ(42.9%). The percentage of Yamada type Ⅰ (36.8%)and type Ⅱ(31.6%) in adenocarcinoma group was lower than that in benign group. Moreover, Yamada type Ⅲ (31.5%) was only found in the adenocarcinoma group. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in Yamada types (P=0.046). Most of the benign lesions had clear boundary(18/21, 85.7%). The percentage of clear boundary in adenocarcinoma group (2/19, 10.5%) was significantly lower than that in the benign group (P < 0.001). No significant differences were investigated in color (P=0.353) and surface (P=0.324) between benign and adenocarcinoma lesions. Pooling age, lesion diameter, Yamada type and clear boundary into Logistic regression analysis, only age (OR=1.186, 95%CI 1.025-1.373, P=0.022) and clear boundary (OR=66.218, 95%CI 3.421-1 281.840, P=0.006) were the independent cancer risk factors. Only 2 (10.5%) in the 19 cancer patients had positive biopsy results before EP. As compared with post-EP, 55.3% (21/38) biopsies were under-estimated, including 17 (17/19, 89.5%) adenocarcinomas and 4 (4/10, 40%) grade Ⅱ adenomas. CONCLUSION adenoma and adenocarcinoma were the major histological type of ampullary po-lyps. Age and unclear boundary were the independent risk factors of ampullary adenocarcinoma. Forceps biopsy was not enough for ampullary polyp differentiation.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biopsy ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Polyps ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Instruments ; Treatment Outcome

Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) and endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) have been performed all around the world over several decades for the treatment of common bile duct stone. EPBD using small dilation balloon catheter can preserve sphincter of Oddi function and reduce the recurrence rate of bile duct stone compared to endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST). EPBD is a procedure with low risk of bleeding, which is appropriate for patients with coagulopathy, hepatic cirrhosis, end-stage of renal disease, and surgically altered anatomy such as Billroth II gastrectomy and periampullary diverticulum. However, it has a higher risk of postprocedure pancreatitis than EST. EPLBD using large balloon catheter (12 mm or more of diameter) is proper for more than 10 mm of common bile duct stone. The advantages of EPLBD are reduced need for mechanical lithotripsy with decreased procedure time and radiation exposure time irrespective of the precedence of EST. EPLBD also requires fewer endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography sessions and is more cost-effective. The incidence of post-procedure pancreatitis is lower in EPLBD than EST. If EPBD and EPLBD are done under the guidelines, these would be safe and effective and may be alternatives to EST for common bile duct stone.
Bile Ducts ; Catheters ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct ; Diverticulum ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroenterostomy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lithotripsy ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Pancreatitis ; Radiation Exposure ; Recurrence ; Sphincter of Oddi ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic