LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY WITHOUT CHOLANGIOGRAPHY - IS IT A SAFE PROCEDURE

The charts of 304 cases of four-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) without cholangiography were studied retrospectively at King Fahad Ho spital, Al Medinah Al Munawarah, Saudi Arabia, during a 2-year period. Electrocautery was used in all the cases. The majority of the patient s (89.8%) had symptomatic chronic cholelithiasis and 68.4% of them had multiple stones. Thirty-three patients (10.86%) had 36 pre-operative endoscopic-retrograde-cholangiography (ERCP) procedures done on them. Fifteen patients (4.94%) had common bile duct (CBD) stones and the pro cedure was negative in the remaining patients. Two patients (0.66%) ha d CBD injury and three patients (0.99%) had bile leakage secondary to cystic duct injury. One patient (0.33%) had a retained CBD stone and h e presented with biliary colic 1 month after his LC. The stone was rem oved endoscopically. There was no mortality. We believe that LC withou t cholangiography could be a safe procedure in a set-up equipped with appropriate endoscopic services.