title: Bilioenteric reconstruction for small bile ducts without mucosa-to-mucosa alignment: long-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Biliary reconstruction of the small bile duct is difficult, and bilioenteric reconstruction without mucosa-to-mucosa alignment would be a simple and useful maneuver in this situation; however, the long-term results of this surgical technique remain to be evaluated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the usefulness of bilioenteric reconstruction without mucosa-to-mucosa alignment from the standpoint of the long-term results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bilioenteric reconstruction without mucosa-to-mucosa alignment was performed in 17 patients at our institution. Six patients had malignancy, and 11 were liver transplant recipients from a living donor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical records, blood chemistry data, and findings from dynamic computed tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 17 patients, 4 died of recurrent malignant disease, and 3 died of thrombosis, brain hemorrhage, and pneumonia, respectively. During the follow-up (median, 41.2 months) of the remaining 10 patients, cholangitis occurred in 2 (1 episode in each), and anastomotic leakage from the hepaticojejunostomy performed by the standard method for other thicker ducts developed in 1. There were no other anastomosis-related complications. Dynamic computed tomography performed 2.4 to 62.7 months (median, 34.4 months) after the operation showed no bile duct dilatation in any of the 10 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term patency of the small bile ducts after bilioenteric reconstruction without mucosa-to-mucosa alignment was demonstrated. Thus, this technique is useful for the reconstruction of small bile ducts, especially in patients with poor liver function in whom even minimal additional reduction in the volume of functioning liver due to occlusion of a small bile duct would be acceptable.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kokudo
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuuchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000601:surgery*; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013537:Sutures