[The incidence of unknown common bile duct calculosis in videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy and usefulness of routine intraoperative cholangiography].
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study is to show the utility of intraoperative cholangiography IOC in detecting unknown common bile duct calculosis during VLS cholecystectomy.


METHODS
The General Surgery Unit of Carlo Poma Hospital in Mantova, carried out a retrospective study considering 288 VLS executed from January 1996 to May 1999. The study excluded the following categories of patients: those with an already known choledocholitiasis, those who underwent preoperative curative ERCP, and those with a preoperative cholangio RMN.


RESULTS
The IOC has detected a hepatocholedochocalculosis in 31 patients (11.4% and in 7 cases there was a suspected calculosis. Twenty of the 31 patients did not present any element that could give the suspect of calculosis. In personal experience IOC showed in 11.4% an unknown hepatic choledochal calculosis after pre-operative echography routine examinations. The percentage of success of the intraoperative cholangiography was of 90%, the meantime for this procedure 15 minute.


CONCLUSIONS
The routinary execution of IOC during VLC is useful also considering its low costs.
Arsena
V
V
Scuola di Specializzazione in Chirurgia Generale, Università degli Studi, Milan, Italy.
Graziano
F
F
Fontanili
M
M
Viganò
P
P
D002404:Catheterization; D002758:Cholangiography; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D042882:Gallstones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007432:Intraoperative Period