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A. Kent Seale, MD; Walter P. Ledet, Jr, MD

Arch Surg. 1999;134:22-24.

Objective  To show that primary closure of the common bile duct following minicholecystectomy is safe and effective.

Design  Eighty-nine primary common bile duct closures done over 13 years.

Setting  General community hospital.

Patients  Patients with cholangiographic evidence of stones in the common bile duct.

Interventions  Minicholecystectomy followed by a primary common bile duct closure or common bile duct closure over a T tube.

Main Outcome Measures  Successful clinical result of primary common bile duct closure following minicholecystectomy.

Results  Eighty-nine primary closures of the common bile duct between 1983 and 1986, resulting in successful clinical outcomes.

Conclusion  Primary closure of the common bile duct following minicholecystectomy is safe, effective, and inexpensive.

From the Sulphur Surgical Clinic, Sulphur, La.