A ten-year study on non-surgical treatment of postoperative bile leakage.
OBJECTIVE
To summarize systematically our ten-year experience in non-surgical treatment of postoperative bile leakage, and explore its methods and indications.


METHODS
The clinical data of 57 patients with postoperative bile leakage treated non-surgically from January 1991 to December 2000 were reviewed retrospectively.


RESULTS
The site of the leakage was mainly the disrupted or damaged fistulous tracts of T tube in 25 patients (43.9 %), the fossae of gallbladder in 14 cases (24.6 %), the cut surface of liver in 7 cases(12.3 %), and it was undetectable in the other 2 cases. Besides bile leakage, the wrong ligation of bile ducts was found in 3 patients, residual stones of the distal bile duct in 5 patients, benign papillary strictures in 3, and biloma resulting from bile collections in 2. The diagnoses were made according to the history of surgery, clinical situation, abdominal paracentesis, ultrasonography, ERCP, PTC, MRI/MRCP, gastroscopy and percutaneous fistulography. All 57 patients were treated non-surgically at the beginning of bile leakage. The non-surgical methods included keeping original drainage unobstructed, percutaneous abdominal paracentesis or drainage, percutaneous transhepatic cholangial/biliary drainage (PTCD/PTBD),endoscopic management, traditional Chinese medicine and so on. Of the 57 patients,2 patients died,5 were converted to reoperation later, the other 50 were directly cured by non-surgical methods without any complication. The cure rate of the non-surgery was 82.5 %(50/57).


CONCLUSIONS
Many nonoperative methods are available to treat postoperative bile leakage. Non-surgical treatment may serve as the first choice for the treatment of bile leakage for its advantages in higher cure rate, convenience and safety in practice. It is important to choose the specific non-surgical method according to the volume, site of bile leakage and patient's condition.
Chen
Xiao-Peng
XP
Department of Surgery, Second Affilicated Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China. drcxp@sohu.com
Peng
Shu-You
SY
Peng
Cheng-Hong
CH
Liu
Yin-Bi
YB
Shi
Liu-Bin
LB
Jiang
Xian-Chuan
XC
Shen
Hong-Wei
HW
Xu
Yuan-Liang
YL
Fang
Shu-Bin
SB
Rui
Jing
J
Xia
Xiang-Hou
XH
Zhao
Guo-Hai
GH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001646:Bile; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D001662:Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000401:mortality; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies