Benefits of Endoscopic Nasobiliary Drainage for Bile Leakage after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Akihiro Tsukahara¹⁾²⁾, Syuntaro Koyama¹⁾, Norio Tanaka¹⁾, Nobuo Takeda¹⁾, Satoshi Shimoda¹⁾ and Katsuyoshi Hatakeyama²⁾

¹⁾Department of Surgery, Niigata Prefectural Shibata Hospital
²⁾Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Department of Regenerative and Transplant Medicine, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences

One of the worst complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is bile leakage. Of 293 cases undergoing LC, postoperative bile leakage occurred in 6 (2.0%). We conducted endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in all patients together with endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD). The average time from ENBD until bile leakage stopped was 2.3 days and the ENBD tube was removed within 9.8 days. Among treatments for post-LC bile leakage, ENBD is effective and eliminates laparotomy, making it minimally invasiveness. ENBD is considered treatment of choice for bile leakage after LC.

Key words
laparoscopic cholecystectomy, bile leakage, ENBD

Reprint requests
Akihiro Tsukahara Department of Surgery, Niigata Prefectural Shibata Hospital
4-5-48 Shibata Otemachi, Niigata, 957-8588 JAPAN

Accepted
April 28, 2004

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