Liver resection as the definitive treatment for unilateral non-oriental primary intrahepatic lithiasis.
BACKGROUND
The current study sought to evaluate the results of liver resection as the treatment for unilateral non-oriental primary intrahepatic lithiasis (PHIL).


METHODS
Twenty-seven symptomatic patients (mean age 42 years) were submitted to liver resection; the indications were parenchymal fibrosis/atrophy in 22 and biliary stenosis in 5. Resection was associated with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in patients with a significant degree of dilation of the extrahepatic biliary duct.


RESULTS
There was no operative mortality and the morbidity rate was 7.4% (2 patients with biliary fistula). After a median follow-up of 41.2 months, the overall rate of good results was 92.6%. All patients submitted to liver resection alone presented good late results, while 80% of those with associated hepaticojejunostomy did not have complications (P = .12). Late complications were observed in 2 patients (7.4%): 1 with a liver abscess and 1 with cholangitis and recurrent stones. There was no mortality during long-term follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Liver resection showed low incidence of complications and good long-term results. None of the patients with unilateral disease without associated extrahepatic bile duct dilation presented complications and they were considered cured. We believe that resection indications should be expanded and the procedure should be indicated as routine in patients with unilateral PHIL even in the absence of parenchymal fibrosis/atrophy or biliary stenosis.
Herman
Paulo
P
Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital das Clínicas-University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil. pherman@uol.com.br
Perini
Marcos V
MV
Machado
Marcel Autran C
MA
Bacchella
Telesforo
T
Pugliese
Vincenzo
V
Saad
William A
WA
da Cunha
Jose Eduardo M
JE
Machado
Marcel C C
MC
Rodrigues
Joaquim Gama
JG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D020347:Lithiasis / Q000601:surgery*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome