Fully covered self-expanding metal stents (FCSEMSs) are now being used to treat postoperative biliary strictures (BSs) and biliary leaks (BLs). The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of a new FCSEMS (Wallflex) in patients with postoperative BSs and BLs after failure of traditional endoscopic treatment. Between January 2010 and December 2011, 16 patients (10 patients with postcholecystectomy BSs, 4 with postcholecystectomy BLs, and 2 with postorthotopic liver transplantation BSs) were enrolled. The technical and clinical success rate was 100%. All FCSEMSs were removed after a mean of 141 days. Complications occurred in 7 cases: 2 postprocedure pain, 2 mild pancreatitis, 1 early distal, and 2 late proximal FCSEMS migration. The overall long-term clinical success rate was 94% after a mean follow-up of 13 months. In our experience, the placement of FCSEMSs is an effective and secure method of treating refractory postoperative BSs or BLs.

Many patients with gastroparesis have had their gallbladders removed.To determine if clinical presentations of patients with gastroparesis differ in those with prior cholecystectomy compared to patients who have not had their gallbladder removed.Gastroparetic patients were prospectively enrolled in the NIDDK Gastroparesis Registry. Detailed history and physical examinations were performed; patients filled out questionnaires including patient assessment of GI symptoms.Of 391 subjects with diabetic or idiopathic gastroparesis (IG), 142 (36 %) had a prior cholecystectomy at the time of enrollment. Patients with prior cholecystectomy were more often female, older, married, and overweight or obese. Cholecystectomy had been performed in 27/59 (46 %) of T2DM compared to 19/78 (24 %) T1DM and 96/254 IG (38 %) (p = 0.03). Patients with cholecystectomy had more comorbidities, particularly chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, and anxiety. Postcholecystectomy gastroparesis patients had increased health care utilization, and had a worse quality of life. Independent characteristics associated with prior cholecystectomy included insidious onset (OR = 2.06; p = 0.01), more comorbidities (OR = 1.26; p < 0.001), less severe gastric retention (OR(severe) = 0.68; overall p = 0.03) and more severe symptoms of retching (OR = 1.19; p = 0.02) and upper abdominal pain (OR = 1.21; p = 0.02), less severe constipation symptoms (OR = 0.84; p = 0.02), and not classified as having irritable bowel syndrome (OR = 0.51; p = 0.02). Etiology was not independently associated with a prior cholecystectomy.Symptom profiles in patients with and without cholecystectomy differ: postcholecystectomy gastroparesis patients had more severe upper abdominal pain and retching and less severe constipation. These data suggest that prior cholecystectomy is associated with selected manifestations of gastroparesis.

Calculi in the cystic duct remnant are one of the causes of postcholecystectomy syndrome. A 36-year-old woman presented thrice to the casualty department with right upper quadrant pain at an interval of 2 months every time. Ultrasound and CT scan of the abdomen was normal except for echoes in the gallbladder region may be clips. She was treated conservatively and discharged the first two times. The second time, the MR cholangiopancreatography was normal. She had undergone endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy with stent in situ outside elsewhere before presenting to us for the third time, which was removed after 6-weeks. The third time, she was taken up for laparoscopic stump exploration, which revealed a stone, which was the cause of her pain. To conclude, stump stone can be a possibility of post cholecystectomy syndrome even after 6 years, and surgeons should be aware of it.

Throughout the world, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a widely accepted surgical treatment for both acute and chronic cholecystitis. It provides total relief of pre-surgical symptoms in up to 85% of patients. However, about 5% of patients may experience severe episodes of upper abdominal pain similar to those that they had prior to cholecystectomy; this is known as post-cholecystectomy syndrome. Gallbladder remnant with calculi is one of the causative factors. However, there have been only a few case series related to this reported in literature to date. Herein, we present our experience with laparoscopic management of gallbladder remnant with calculi in 40 cases.A retrospective study of 40 cases was carried out in our institution. All patients underwent open cholecystectomy at other centres, and their cases were managed by laparoscopic completion cholecystectomy.The mean operating time was 102.4 min (range, 60-120 min). The duration of hospital stay was 2-4 days. Two cases were converted to open surgery because of extensive dense adhesions. One case had minor a common bile duct injury, and another had port-site infection. There were no cases of mortality.Gallbladder remnant containing stones may be the cause of otherwise unexplained postcholecystectomy pain. Completion cholecystectomy offers a definitive treatment for any residual gallbladder remnant and can be performed laparoscopically.

Cholecystectomy is the preferred treatment option for symptomatic gallstones, but the exact relationship between cholecystectomies and symptoms still is unclear. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of elective cholecystectomy for patients with cholecystolithiasis in terms of both persistent and de novo symptoms.A systematic literature search was conducted in Pubmed and Embase. The search included studies comprising patients 18 years of age or older undergoing elective cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholecystolithiasis. The proportions of symptoms after cholecystectomy were calculated and then subdivided into persistent and de novo symptoms.A total of 38 studies reported the presence of postcholecystectomy symptoms. The results showed that upper abdominal pain, the main indication for cholecystectomy in the majority of the patients, mostly disappeared after surgery. However, it persisted in up to 33 % of the patients and arose de novo in up to 14 %. Diarrhea (85 %) and constipation (76 %) were the persistent symptoms most often reported, whereas upper abdominal pain and vomiting were the least often reported. Flatulence (62 %) was the most often reported new symptom. However, large variations in symptoms were found between studies.The review indicates that cholecystectomy often is ineffective with regard to persistent and de novo symptoms. The finding that the types and proportions of persistent symptoms differ from those that arise de novo suggests that this distinction may be useful in predicting which patients would and which would not benefit from a cholecystectomy.

The experience of drug use in the clinic Enerliv (of "Berlin - Chemie Menarini" Germany) in 58 patients is the complex treatment of postcholecystectomy syndrome in generalised. The drug has hepatoprotective and cholesterol-lowering effect, effectively eliminates pain and dyspeptic symptoms, normalize biochemical parameters.

Pancreas divisum is the most common congenital malformation of the pancreas that results from the non-fusion or incomplete fusion of the ventral and dorsal portions of the embryonic pancreas. It is found in 7% of autopsy studies (range 1-14%) and is generally asymptomatic. 5% of the patients have symptoms, which are basically cases of abdominal pain and recurrent pancreatitis. We report the case of a woman of 51 y, postcholecystectomy with 2 episodes of pancreatitis with imaging from magnetic resonance of pancreatic divisum with communication between the dorsal and ventral pancreas. We proceeded by endoscopy (ERCP) to dilate the major duct, and then made a minor duct papillotomy and made a hydropneumatic ball dilatation with the catheter balloon up the waist portion. The procedure was successful with 9 months of follow up.

To evaluate the efficacy of combined infiltrative bupivacaine with low intraperitoneal pressure insufflation in reducing the post-laparoscopic pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).This randomized prospective single-blind study included 473 patients undergoing LC. The study took place at University Hospital Center Mother Teresa, Tirana, Albania between January 2006 to September 2009. The patients were divided in 4 groups: Group 1 (n=120) with intra-abdominal insufflation pressure 15 mm Hg and no infiltrative bupivacaine (HPNBG); Group 2 (n=122) with intra-abdominal insufflation pressure 15 mm Hg and with 5 ml infiltrative bupivacaine 0.5% in abdominal minincisions (HPBG); Group 3 (n=110) with intra-abdominal insufflation pressure under 10 mm Hg and no infiltrative bupivacaine (LPNBG); and Group 4 (n=121) with intra-abdominal insufflation pressure under 10 mm Hg and infiltrative bupivacaine (LPBG).There were statistically significant differences (p=0.003) between groups regarding incisional pain intensity, between LPBG and HPNBG (p=0.001), between LPBG and HPBG (p=0.037), between LPBG and LPNBG (p=0.001), as well the shoulder-tip pain intensity (p=0.001); between LPBG and HPNBG (p=0.001), between LPBG and HPBG (p=0.001), and between LPBG and LPNBG (p=0.031). We found statistically significant differences related to pain beginning time (ANOVA test, p=0.027); between LPBG and HPNBG (p=0.041), between LPBG and HPBG (p=0.031), and between LPBG and LPNBG (p=0.05).The combination of infiltrative bupivacaine with low intraperitoneal pressure insufflation shows to be more efficient in reducing the post-laparoscopic pain, compared with other regimens.

Unrecognized lithiasis of the cystic duct (CDL) may be responsible for post cholecystectomy. This retrospective study looked at the incidence of CDL during cholecystectomy, as well as the context of its occurrence; recommendations for a practical surgical approach are offered.Over a period of 30 months, 143 consecutive cholecystectomies (103 women, 40 men; mean age: 57 years) were performed by the same surgeon: 142 by laparoscopy, and one by laparotomy due to a history of previous gastrectomy. The cystic duct was always opened and milked upward in search of CDL before immediate clip occlusion or performance of cholangiography (106 times, 74.1%). In seven cases, cholangiography was impossible because the cystic duct was too narrow.There was no mortality. CDL was found in 21 cases (14.7%) and removed. This had not been identified by preoperative imaging (ultrasound or CT). Pain in the month preceding cholecystectomy occurred more frequently in cases of CDL (19/21[90.4%] vs 36/122 [29.5%]; P<0.001). Similarly, liver function tests were more often abnormal with CDL (10/21 [47.6%] vs 30/122 [24.5%]; P<0.05). However, neither jaundice nor gallbladder inflammation was predictive of CDL in this study. Echoendoscopy (EUS) was performed more often for suspected common duct lithiasis migration (CBDL) in patients with CDL than for those without (9/21 [42.8%] vs 26/122 [21.3%]; P<0.05). CBDL was present in 12 of 143 patients (8.3%). This was treated by preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy in 10 cases, and twice by trans-cystic stone extraction during the laparoscopic intervention. CBDL occurred more frequently in association with CDL (5/21 [23.8%] vs 7/122 [5.7%]; P<0.01). In addition, CDL was still present at cholecystectomy in the four patients who underwent preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy.Cystic duct lithiasis is found frequently during cholecystectomy; CDL is often associated with preoperative pain, abnormal liver function tests and choledocholithiasis. It can persist despite preoperative sphincterotomy. The search for and treatment of CDL should be routinely performed during cholecystectomy.