Surgical treatment of idiopathic dilatation of the common bile duct (choledochal cyst) in 14 children

Surgical management of choledochal cysts: a review of 60 cases

Sixty cases of choledochal cysts in children are reviewed. The series comprises 55 cases of Alonso-Lej. Type 1 cysts, two cases whose cysts were infraduodenal and retropancreatic in position, and three cases of choledochal cysts with both proximal and distal atresia of bile ducts. The following five types of operative procedures were employed for the 58 cases: (1) Choledochocystoduodenostomy in 12; (2) Partial excision, choledochorraphy and choledocho-duodenostomy in six; (3) Cyst excision, portal dissection and portojejunostomy in three; (4) Choledochocystojejunostomy Roux-en-Y in 20; and (5) Cyst excision with hepaticojejunostomy Roux-en-Y in 17 cases. Two patients did not receive definitive surgical treatment. Early complications included six cases of leakage, of which one died; and four cases of cholangitis and septicemia, resulting in fatality in all. The overall operative mortality was 5/58 (8.6%). This review, though retrospective in nature, further supports the more recent trend that radical cyst excision with hepaticojejunostomy is the treatment of choice. This procedure carried no mortality and low morbidity. All 17 patients treated in this manner are well and free from jaundice and recurrent cholangitis. Cyst excision eliminates the reservoir for bile stasis, biliary obstruction, cholangitis, and biliary cirrhosis. It also removes the possibility of malignant change in the cyst and spontaneous rupture.

Treatment of choledochal cyst by excision

Since 1969 excision of choledochal cyst and establishment of bile drainage by Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy has been performed in 7 children whose ages ranged from 10 mo to 11 yr. In 3 children, the cyst had been treated 5 yr, 4 wk, and 3 wk previously by cystduodenostomy, cystjejunostomy, and cholecystduodenostomy, respectively; further surgery was indicated for biliary obstruction and severe cholangitis. The other four children were not acutely ill. All cysts were located distal to the confluence of the right and left hepatic ducts. The volume of the smallest cyst was 25 ml and the largest 500 ml. In all children a small remnant of distal cyst was not excised to avoid injury to the duodenum and pancreas. In four children a remnant of proximal cyst was left attached to the hepatic duct to allow a large biliary intestinal anastomosis and minimize the possibility of stricture. No serious intraoperative problems were encountered. Prolonged drainage (2-3 wk) from Penrose drain sites in two children were the only postoperative complications. Liver function tests have remained normal in all and no episodes of cholangitis or jaundice have been noted during follow-up (median: 4.5 yr). This experience supports recent reports that indicate that cyst excision is associated with low mortality and morbidity. Cyst excision is preferred over traditional internal drainage procedures because it (A) eliminates a reservoir for bile stasis, (B) removes a mechanism which allows continuous reflux of pancreatic juice into the cyst, and (C) probably prevents the occurrence of bile duct carcinoma which has been noted in 3.0% of patients with choledochal cyst.

Operative procedures for choledochal cyst

Fifty one operations for choledochal cyst were carried out upon 46 patients: 41 as a primary operation and 10 as reoperation. An excision of choledochal cyst with hepaticojejunostomy in Roux-en-Y fashion at the second laparotomy gave a favorable results in all patients who suffered recurrent symptoms after the previous anastomotic procedure. Comparing operation time, blood loss and operative results of the reoperations with those of the primary, it was concluded that all choledochal cyst should be excised at the first operation unless other reason avoiding excision exists. Hepatic portojejunostomy is recommended for choledochal cyst with an associated distal atresia and the hypoplastic hepatic duct.

Choledochal cyst in infancy and childhood. Analysis of 16 cases

Choledochal cyst was diagnosed before operation in 14 out of 16 infants and children by means of a combination of diagnostic tests. Ultrasonic echogram showed a cystic mass in all 11 patients examined. The characteristic displacement of the duodenum was noted in 9 of 14 patients by contrast studies of the upper gastrointestinal tract, and hepatobiliary scintiscanning confirmed choledochal cyst in 7 of 8 patients (88%). A cyst was shown by oral or intravenous cholangiography in 3 of 4 patients. Onset of symptoms occurred from 7 days of age to 9-5 years; in 10 patients onset occurred under 12 months of age, in 3 from 13 to 24 months, and in the remaining 3 from 2 to 9-5 years. The first symptoms were jaundice, vomiting, acholic stools, and poor sucking. Obstructive jaundice and acholic stools were found in more than 80% of the patients, and abdominal mass in 60%. Vomiting occurred in 50% of the patients, one-third of whom showed failure to thrive, and 70% of patients over the age of 1-5 years had abdominal pain. About half of the patients had a mild to moderate degree of fever. In all patients primary excision of the cyst was followed by hepaticojejunostomy in Roux-en-Y fashion. The postoperative course was uneventful in 14 patients; 2 patients died, one from ascending cholangitis and one from hepatic failure.

Choledochal cyst: a review of 19 cases

Nineteen cases of choledochal cyst are reviewed. Two distinct groups of patients were identified. Patients under one year of age, initially diagnosed as having biliary atresia, had a higher mortality rate, a higher incidence of severe cirrhosis with portal hypertension, and associated atresia or stenosis in the biliary tree. The second group, presenting between 3 and 20 years of age with more classic symptoms, had mild cirrhosis without portal hypertension and had associated choledocholithiasis and pancreatitis. It is suggested that the younger patients had a congenital form of cystic bile duct dilatation and that the older patients had an acquired form, perhaps related to a common channel with reflux of pancreatic juice into the common bile duct. Postoperative follow-up supports the current view that choledochocyst-jejunostomy with choleystectomy has a lower rate of long-term complications than does choledochocyst-duodenostomy.

Biliary cysts

This review brings the total number of biliary cysts reported in the world literature to 955. Eighty-one per cent of patients are females and 61% were discovered before age ten. The classical triad of right upper quadrant pain, right upper quandrant mass, and juandice is present in 38% of cases. The duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis ranged from less than one week to more than 40 years. The etiology is multifaceted and evidence of the existence of both acquired and congenital cysts is presented. The most useful diagnostic tool is fiberoptic endoscopy with retrograde contrast injection of the common bile duct and pancreatic duct. The incidence of biliary carcinoma in patients with biliary cysts is found to be 2.5%; 24 cases have been reported. Considerable controversy has existed concerning the best operative procedure for biliary cysts; no treatment or medical treatment yielding a 97% mortality rate. In an analysis of 235 patients presented since 1968 with an average followup of 5.2 years, the best procedure appears to be excision with either choledochocholedocostomy or Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. The operative mortality for all procedures is now 3 to 4%.