[The incidence of unknown common bile duct calculosis in videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy and usefulness of routine intraoperative cholangiography].

Background: The aim of this study is to show the utility of intraoperative cholangiography IOC in detecting unknown common bile duct calculosis during VLS cholecystectomy.

Methods: The General Surgery Unit of Carlo Poma Hospital in Mantova, carried out a retrospective study considering 288 VLS executed from January 1996 to May 1999. The study excluded the following categories of patients: those with an already known choledocholitiasis, those who underwent preoperative curative ERCP, and those with a preoperative cholangio RMN.

Results: The IOC has detected a hepatocholedochocalculosis in 31 patients (11.4% and in 7 cases there was a suspected calculosis. Twenty of the 31 patients did not present any element that could give the suspect of calculosis. In personal experience IOC showed in 11.4% an unknown hepatic choledochal calculosis after pre-operative echography routine examinations. The percentage of success of the intraoperative cholangiography was of 90%, the meantime for this procedure 15 minute.

Conclusions: The routinary execution of IOC during VLC is useful also considering its low costs.