Operative procedures for choledochal cyst

Surgical treatment of congenital dilatation of the bile duct with special reference to late complications after total excisional operation

The surgical treatment of 100 cases with congenital dilatation of bile duct with special reference to late complications was analyzed. There were no deaths nor occurrences of malignancy. Among 91 patients who had undergone the standard operation, namely total excision of the dilated extrahepatic bile duct and reconstruction after Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, there were one early complication (pancreatic juice leakage) and five late complications (four intrahepatic gallstones and one liver abscess). The cause of intrahepatic gallstone formation after a total excisional operation was attributed to the remaining intrahepatic bile duct dilatation and the stenosis located between the intrahepatic bile duct dilatation and the common hepatic duct. Accordingly, these results support the total excisional procedure for this condition; however, with regard to the cases associated with cystic dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts, completely free bile drainage from the dilated intrahepatic biliary system should be performed at the radical operation.

Changes of intrahepatic bile duct dilatation after surgery for congenital dilatation of the bile duct

Of 47 patients suffering from congenital dilatation of the bile duct whose intrahepatic bile ducts could be clearly demonstrated by operative cholangiogram or preoperative ERCP, 39 patients (83%) had dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. Follow-up studies in infants and children ranging from 1 year to 11 years after their corrective operation for congenital dilatation of the common bile duct showed no morbidity that was attributed to the presence of the dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. ECHO grams in 21 patients revealed marked decrease in size of the intrahepatic bile ducts except for two patients with huge cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. These findings justify the employment of the standard operative procedure for the treatment of congenital dilatation of the bile duct even if it is associated with dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts.