title: Laparoscopic exploration of intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts and T-tube drainage.
abstract: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has rapidly become the procedure of choice for the management of patients with gall-bladder stones. This contrasts with patients who have common bile duct and intrahepatic duct stones who still usually need an open operation. On the basis of experience of a number of LC by one surgeon and animal experiments, we have completed laparoscopic exploration of both intra- and extrahepatic ducts and T-tube drainage of 57 patients with intra- and extrahepatic bile duct calculi over 13 months during 1992-1993 with satisfactory results. The average operating time was 150 min, with a range of 100 to 220 min. Most patients were mobile and on oral fluids within 24 h postoperative. Average hospital stay was 4 days. Retained stones were found via T-tube cholangiography in four patients (7%) and for each patient these were removed by fibre-optic choledochoscope 2 weeks postoperatively. Laparoscopic exploration of intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts is achievable by experienced surgeons and may be particularly helpful for patients who are not a good operative risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital, Shandong Medical University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Shou
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.forename: X Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies