Abstract
Since laparoscopic cholecystectomy rapidly became the gold standard, there is an increased morbidity of 1% to 3% for clinically significant bile leaks with this procedure, as compared with open cholecystectomy (<1%). The identification of subclinical bile leaks using cholescintigraphy occurs in the range from 31.4% to 40% after elective open cholecystectomy. At this writing, no studies exist that document the rate of subclinical bile leaks after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In this study, 71 patients were evaluated using cholescintigraphy after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study represents the first prospective look at the rate of subclinical bile leaks after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elective cases, and the findings show an overall incidence of 7.3%, as compared with historical reports of 30% to 44% for open cholecystectomy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hasl, D., Ruiz, O., Baumert, J. et al. A prospective study of bile leaks after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surg Endosc 15, 1299–1300 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004640000379
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004640000379