Open Choldecho-Enterostomy for Common Bile Duct Stones: Is it Out of Date in Laparo-Endoscopic Era?

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, biliary-enteric drainage (BED) is regarded as a last resort or obsolete therapeutic method for common bile duct stone (CBDS) not only because of advances in minimally invasive therapeutic modalities but also due to fears of higher morbidity, cholangitis, and "sump" syndrome. AIM: The present study aimed at evaluating the outcome of this procedure for choledocholithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a retrospective review of 51 patients who underwent open choledochoenterostomy for CBDS between January 2005 and December 2009. RESULTS: About 40 women (78%) and 11 men underwent open BED (mean age 72 years). Indications were elderly patients (90%), multiple stones (54.9%) and unextractable calculi (15.4%). We performed 49 (96%) side to side choledochoduodenostomies, one end to side choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) and one end to side hepaticojejunostomy. The mortality rate was 3.9%. Overall morbidity was 12% with no biliary leakage. With a decline of 1-6 years, neither sump syndrome nor cholangiocarcinoma occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Side-to-side CDS is a safe and highly effective therapeutic measure, even when performed on ducts less than 15 mm wide, provided a few technical requirements are respected. Patients experiencing relapsing cholangitis after BED should be closely monitored for the late development of biliary tract malignancies.