Cholecystoenteric fistula in a patient with advanced gallbladder cancer: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Cholecystoenteric fistula(CEF)involves the formation of a spontaneous ano-malous tract between the gallbladder and the adjacent gastrointestinal tract.Chronic gallbladder inflammation can lead to tissue necrosis,perforation,and fistulogenesis.The most prevalent cause of CEF is chronic cholelithiasis,which rarely results from malignancy.Because the symptoms and laboratory findings associated with CEF are nonspecific,the condition is often misdiagnosed,pre-senting a challenge to the surgeon when detected intraoperatively.Therefore,a preoperative diagnosis of CEF is crucial.We present the case of a 57-year-old male with advanced gallbladder cancer(GBC)who arrived at the emergency room with persistent vomiting,abdominal pain,and diarrhea.An abdominopelvic computed tomography scan revealed a contracted gallbladder with bubbles in the fundus connected to the second por-tion of the duodenum and transverse colon.We suspected that GBC had invaded the adjacent gastrointestinal tract through a cholecystoduodenal fistula(CDF)or a cholecystocolonic fistula(CCF).He underwent multiple examinations,including esophagogastroduodenoscopy,an upper gastrointestinal series,colo-noscopy,and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography;the results of these tests con-firmed a diagnosis of synchronous CDF and CCF.The patient underwent a Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy and loop ileostomy to address the severe adhesions that were previously observed to cover the second portion of the duodenum and hepatic flexure of the colon.His symptoms improved with supportive treatment while hospitalized.He initiated oral targeted therapy with lenvatinib for further anticancer treatment.CONCLUSION The combination of imaging and surgery can enhance preoperative diagnosis and alleviate symptoms in patients with GBC complicated by CEF.

Endoscopic management of postcholecystectomy biliary leakage

BACKGROUND: Biliary leak is an uncommon but significant complication following cholecystectomy. Endotherapy is an established method of treatment. However, the optimal intervention is not known. METHOD: Eighty-five patients with postcholecystectomy biliary leaks from July 2000 to March 2009 were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: The study population was 20 males and 65 females with a mean age of 42.47 years. Patients presented with abdominal pain (46), jaundice (23), fever (23), abdominal distension (42), or bilious abdominal drain (67). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography detected a leak at the cystic duct stump in 45 patients, stricture with middle common bile duct leak in 4, leak from the right hepatic duct in 3, and a ligated common bile duct in 32. Twelve also had bile duct stones. One had a broken T-tube with stones Endotherapy was possible in 53 patients. Three patients with stones, one with a broken T-tube with stones, and 4 with stricture of the common bile duct with a leak were managed with sphincterotomy and stenting. Eight patients with a cystic duct stump leak with stones were managed with sphincterotomy and stone extraction. Three outpatients and 12 inpatients with a cystic duct stump leak were managed with sphincterotomy and stent and sphincterotomy and nasobiliary drain, respectively. Five patients with a cystic duct stump leak were managed with stenting. Sixteen with coagulopathy were managed with only nasobiliary drain (9) or stent (7). Leak closure was achieved in 100% patients Four developed mild pancreatitis which improved with conservative treatment.CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic intervention is a safe and effective method of treatment of postcholecystectomy biliary leaks. However, management should be individualized based on factors such as outpatients or inpatients, presence of stone, stricture, ligature, or coagulopathy.

Cholecystoduodenal fistula presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report

BACKGROUND Cholecystoduodenal fistula is a rare complication of cholelithiasis.Symptoms are usually non-specific and often indistinguishable from those of etiologic diseases,but it rarely presents as severe gastrointestinal bleeding.Bleeding associated with cholecystoduodenal fistula usually requires surgery because significant bleeding from the cystic artery is unlikely to be resolved by conservative management or endoscopic hemostasis.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of cholecystoduodenal fistula that presented with hematemesis which was diagnosed by endoscopy and computed tomography.Endoscopic hemostasis could not be achieved,but surgical treatment was successful.Additionally,we have presented a literature review.CONCLUSION Cholecystoduodenal fistula should be considered as differential diagnosis when a patient with history of gallstone disease presents with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Endoscopic management of postoperative bile leaks

BACKGROUND: Significant bile leak as an uncommon complication after biliary tract surgery may constitute a serious and difficult management problem. Surgical management of biliary fistulae is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Biliary endoscopic procedures have become the treatment of choice for management of biliary Gstulae. METHODS: Ninety patients presented with bile leaks after cholecystectomy ( open cholecystectomy in 45 patients, cholecystectomy with common bile duct exploration in 20 and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 25). The presence of bile leaks was confirmed by ERCP and the appearance of bile in percutaneous drainage of abdominal collections. Of the 90 patients with postoperative bile leaks, 18 patients had complete transaction of the common bile duct by ERCP and were subjected to bilioenteric anastomosis. In the remaining patients after cholangiography and localization of the site of bile leaks. therapeutic procedures like sphinctero-tomy, biliary stenting and nasobiliary drainage ( NBD ) were performed. If residual stones were seen in the common bile duct, sphincterotomy was followed by stone extraction using dormia basket. Nasobiliary drain or stents of 7F size were placed according to the standard techniques. The NBD was removed when bile leak stopped and closure of the fistula confirmed cholangiographically. The stents were removed after an interval of 6-8 weeks. RESULTS: Bile leaks in 72 patients occurred in the cystic duct (38 patients), the common bile duct (30 ), and the right hepatic duct (4). Of the 72 patients with post-operative bile leak, 24 had associated retained common bile duct stones and 1 had ascaris in common bile duct. All the 72 patients were subjected to therapeutic procedures including sphincterotomy with stone extraction followed by biliary stenting (24 patients), removal of ascaris and biliary stenting (1), sphincterotomy with biliary stenting (18), sphincterotomy with NBD (12), biliary stenting alone (12), and NBD alone (5). Bile leaks stopped in all patients at a median interval of 3 days (range 3-16 days) after endoscopic in- terventions. No difference was observed in efficacy and in time for the treatment of bile leak by sphincterotomy with endoprosthesis or endoprosthesis alone in patients with bile leak after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Post-cholecystectomy bile leaks occur most commonly in the cystic duct and associated common bile duct stones are found in one-third of cases. Endoscopic therapy is safe and effective in the management of bile leaks and fistulae after surgery. Sphincterotomy with endoprosthesis or endoprosthesis alone is equally effective in the management of postoperative bile leak.

Pediatric T-tube in adult liver transplantation:Technical refinements of insertion and removal

BACKGROUND With the increasing use of extended-criteria donor organs,the interest around Ttubes in liver transplantation(LT)was restored whilst concerns regarding T-tuberelated complications persist.AIM To describe insertion and removal protocols implemented at our institution to safely use pediatric rubber 5-French T-tubes and subsequent outcomes in a consecutive series of adult patients.METHODS Data of consecutive adult LT patients from brain-dead donors,treated from March 2017 to December 2019,were collected(i.e.,biliary complications,adverse events,treatment after T-Tube removal).Patients with upfront hepaticojejunostomy,endoscopically removed T-tubes,those who died or received retransplantation before T-tube removal were excluded.RESULTS Seventy-two patients were included in this study;T-tubes were removed 158 d(median;IQR 128-206 d)after LT.In four(5.6%)patients accidental T-tube removal occurred requiring monitoring only;in 68(94.4%)patients Nelaton drain insertion was performed according to our protocol,resulting in 18(25%)patients with a biliary output,subsequently removed after 2 d(median;IQR 1-4 d).Three(4%)patients required endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)due to persistent Nelaton drain output.Three(4%)patients developed suspected biliary peritonitis,requiring ERCP with sphincterotomy and nasobiliary drain insertion(only one revealing contrast extravasation);no patient required percutaneous drainage or emergency surgery.CONCLUSION The use of pediatric rubber 5-French T-tubes in LT proved safe in our series after insertion and removal procedure refinements.