SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF IMPACTED LOWER COMMON BILE DUCT STONES

Common bile duct stones have been noted in 10-15% of patients with gall stones, these stones are either primary (formed in the common bile duct) or secondary (formed in the gallbladder and migrate down to the common bile duct). Their management includes ERCP, biliary drainage procedure and choledochal exploration. In this interventional study we reviewed transduodenal sphincteroplasty as an option for surgical treatment of impacted lower CBD stones from a point of morbidity and mortality. A prospective study conducted over a period of 10 years from 2000 to 2010 in Basrah Teaching General Hospital and private hospitals in Basrah. Twenty three patients with impacted lower CBD stones, there were 17 females (73.9%) and 6 males (26.1%) included in this study. The impacted lower CBD stones and surgical jaundice are the main indications for surgery to which 23 patients underwent TDS. All surgeries done in elective lists. In this prospective study, 23 patients who were diagnosed as impacted lower CBD stones managed by TDS,17 (73.9%) were females and 6 (26.1%) were males. In patients with impacted lower CBD stones who underwent TDS as an option for surgical treatment, 3 patients (13.04%) developed duodenal leak, 2 of them treated conservatively and improved, while 1 patient re-explored. Two patients (8.69%) developed mild cholangitis which respond to conservative measures. The hospital stay for all patients ranges 5–14 days postoperatively, with mean stay of 7 days. No reported cases of postoperative pancreatitis following TDS in this study. No mortality reported (0 %) in follow-up for 2 years in our study. It is concluded from this prospective study that TDS in the surgical management of impacted lower CBD stones with fibrosed ampulla (sphincter of oddi) is a feasible option with accepted incidence of duodenal leak and cholangitis among the biliary drainage procedures especially in an area where the facility of ERCP are not present or failed in addition of dense adhesions in supraduedenal area intra-operatively when decisions of open abdominal exploration done, make supraduedenal CBD exploration difficult and hazardous.