BILE DUCT INJURY

Course overview

LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY IS PERFORMED OVER 750,000 TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES ANNUALLY. AS LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY USED TO TREAT SYMPTOMATIC CHOLELITHIASIS, THE NUMBER OF BILE DUCT INJURIES (BDI) HAS ALSO INCREASED. THE BILIARY TREE AND RELATIONSHIP OF THE CYSTIC DUCT AND ITS INSERTION ONTO THE COMMON HEPATIC DUCT IS NOTED TO HAVE VARIABLE AND ANOMALOUS ANATOMY. THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR INJURING THE BILE DUCT IS DUE TO THE MISIDENTIFICATION OF NORMAL BILIARY ANATOMY. ONCE THE BILE DUCT IS INJURED, EARLY RECOGNITION IS CRUCIAL TO FACILITATE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT. THIS ACTIVITY OUTLINES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF IATROGENIC AND TRAUMATIC INJURY TO THE BILIARY SYSTEM AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND MANAGING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.