INTRAOPERATIVE BILIARY TREE IMAGING WITH CHOLYL-LYSYL-FLUORESCEIN - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN THE RABBIT

Iatrogenic bile duct injury during cholecystectomy is the most serious complication of this surgical procedure. Initial reports suggest that this complication is particularly troublesome during laparoscopic cho lecystectomy, Proper identification of the biliary anatomy in the subh epatic region is the only way to avoid this catastrophe. The potential benefits of a simple, reliable method for intraoperative delineation of biliary anatomy are self-evident, In this experimental study on rab bits, we show how the simple i.v. injection of a fluorescent bile salt , cholyl-lysyl-fluorescein, enables the surgeon to visualize the entir e biliary tree in anatomic detail.