title: Minimally invasive treatment of Mirizzi's syndrome: is there a safe way? Report of a case series.
abstract: Mirizzi's syndrome (MS) is a rare complication of the inveterate biliary lithiasis. Diagnostic and therapeutic standardization is still missing, especially since laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the gold standard approach for symptomatic cholelithiasis. Our study is a retrospective analysis based on a case-series. It considered 370 cholecystectomies performed from 2006 to 2011. We selected 11 patients affected by MS (2.97%). We divided them according to Csendes' classification. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP) was used for biliary drainage when the patient suffered jaundice and/or cholangitis and, preoperatively, to confirm the suspicion of MS obtained through Magnetic Resonance Cholangio-Pancreatography (MRCP). We found it useful to exploit nasobiliary drainage (NBD) for intra-operative check of the biliary tree. In all 5 patients of the type 1 group MS was discovered intraoperatively and treated with Laparoscopic Sub-total Cholecystectomy (LSC). One patient suffered from biliary leakage, solved with NBD positioning. The type 2 group was made up of 2 women and 1 man. All of them were preoperatively submitted to ERCP and NBD positioning. Two underwent LSC and one was converted to laparotomy. The type 3 was represented by a 63-year-old woman suffering from recurrent cholangitis. She was submitted to MRCP, ERCP and then underwent LSC. The 2 patients affected by type 4 underwent open biliary reconstruction. In conclusion, every attempt should be made to identify MS prior to LCS since it will allow NBD insertion by ERCP. Once LCS is initiated, if MS is identified intra-operatively, we can provide the most practical surgical options.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive and Emergency Surgery; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of General and Oncologic Surgery, University Medical School of Bari "Aldo Moro". Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccinni
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive and Emergency Surgery; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of General and Oncologic Surgery, University Medical School of Bari "Aldo Moro". Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sciusco
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive and Emergency Surgery; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of General and Oncologic Surgery, University Medical School of Bari "Aldo Moro". Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe Massimiliano
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive and Emergency Surgery; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of General and Oncologic Surgery, University Medical School of Bari "Aldo Moro". Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurrado
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive and Emergency Surgery; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of General and Oncologic Surgery, University Medical School of Bari "Aldo Moro". Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasculli
authors.affiliation: Unit of Endocrine, Digestive and Emergency Surgery; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of General and Oncologic Surgery, University Medical School of Bari "Aldo Moro". Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Testini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000009:adverse effects; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057792:Mirizzi Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome