VALUE OF EARLY CHOLESCINTIGRAPHY IN DETECTION OF BILIARY COMPLICATIONS AFTER LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Cholescintigraphy using technetium-99m disofenin tracer is accepted as a routine component of preoperative evaluation of the biliary tract i n selected patients but is not used regularly in postoperative managem ent. This is a retrospective analysis of the utility of the nuclide sc an in 27 patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Most patien ts had vague postoperative symptoms such as nausea, pain, and low grad e fever. Two patients developed jaundice. Seven of the 27 patients had biliary leaks, and two had common bile duct obstructions. We conclude that cholescintigraphy is a sensitive noninvasive test for the evalua tion of biliary complications after LC and is a pivotal component of a n algorithmic approach to postoperative complications. Because of the subtle clinical findings and the potential for delayed diagnosis of bi liary complications after LC, early performance of this test will mini mize patient morbidity.