Journal of Life Science and Biomedicine  
J Life Sci Biomed, 8(1): 06-09, 2018  
ISSN 2251-9939  
Endoscopic Interventions in Patients with External  
Biliary Fistulas Caused by Iatrogenic Injuries of  
Biliary Tracts  
Uktam Nurmamatovich TURAKULOV   
Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education, Tashkent, Uzbekistan  
Republican Specialized Center of Surgery named after acad. V.Vakhidov, Tashkent, Uzbekistan  
Corresponding author’s Email: tun_71@mail.ru  
ABSTRACT  
Original Article  
PII: S225199391800002-8  
The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and severity as well as to define the best  
treatment option for patients with iatrogenic injuries. The article presents the analysis of  
surgical treatment of 49 patients with external biliary fistulas (EBFs) caused by iatrogenic  
Rec. 24 Nov. 2017  
Acc. 10 Jan. 2018  
injuries of anhepatic bile-ducts. The causes of strictures and external biliary fistulas Pub. 25 Jan. 2018  
formation were intra-operative injuries during cholecystectomy, gastric resection and  
Keywords  
echinococcectomy. Successful results were achieved in 43 (87.6%) cases using endoscopic  
transpapillary elimination of external biliary fistulas. Endoscopic manipulations promote the  
relief of clinical manifestations of CBD cicatrical stricture and provide the choice of the  
optimal reconstructive surgery.  
Hepatic Bile Ducts,  
External Biliary Fistula,  
Iatrogenic Injuries,  
Cicatrical Strictures,  
Diagnostics, Treatment.  
INTRODUCTION  
Materials of numerous international scientific conferences of hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons which have been  
hold for recent years attest the relevance of diagnostics and treatment issues of external biliary fistulas (EBF) [1-  
4]. The questions about errors, dangers, complications and prevention of EBF were always acute and topical. No  
one, even the most qualified surgeon cannot be totally guaranteed against errors and complications [1, 2, 5-7, 9].  
The acuity of EBF is caused by the disease duration and by the development of serious complications such as  
obstructive jaundice, purulent cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis, portal hypertension and hepatic failure. In majority  
of cases such type of patients are performed recurring surgeries but the lethality remains high up to 8-40 %  
[2]. The main causes of EBF occurrence are surgeries on biliary tracts, liver, stomach and duodenum. Iatrogenic  
injuries of biliary tracts lead to EBF formation in 40.7 43.1% of cases. Residual choledocholithiasis, stenosis of  
major duodenal papilla or their combination lead to EBF in 25.9 26.4% of cases [4-7, 8].  
Iatrogenic injuries are a predominant factor of hepaticocholedoch cicatrical strictures formation and they  
are the causes of EBF development in 82-98% of cases [6]. The frequency of bile ducts injuries makes up 0.2-2.8%  
from the general quantity of surgeries on the biliary system and lethality after reconstructive-restorative  
interventions amounts 15-50% [3, 8, 10]. A particularly difficult task is to restore an adequate natural passage of  
bile at high EBF, at the level of the lobar hepatic ducts. As a rule, it is connected with gross violations of  
topographic and anatomical relationships in the hepatobiliary zone, massive inflammatory, adhesive and  
cicatrical processes, a severe general condition of patients caused by recurrent purulent cholangitis [1, 4].  
Turakulov UN. 2018. Endoscopic Interventions in Patients with External Biliary Fistulas Caused by Iatrogenic Injuries of Biliary Tracts. J. Life  
Surgical treatment of patients with EBF has achieved a significant success, but complications associated  
with stenosis of bioliodigestive and biliobiliary anastomosis are developed in 4.5-25% of cases after  
reconstructive operations on the biliary tracts [4]. The choice of surgeries for this pathology is a matter of  
debates and the results cannot be considered as satisfactory ones. An intent study of possibilities of new method  
in the biliary tracts surgery - endobiliary stenting - has been still going on. The problem of further improvement  
of diagnostic methods and surgical treatment of EBF after iatrogenic injuries of hepaticocholedoch remains  
relevant. A comparative analysis of the reconstructive surgeries results at EBF is an important help for further  
improvement of diagnostic methods and surgical treatment of this pathology.  
Objective of this investigation is to improve the surgical treatment results of the EBF after iatrogenic  
injuries of anhepatic biliary tracts with the use of endoscopic technologies.  
MATERIAL AND METHODS  
Endoscopic treatment as an independent method has been attempted in 49 patients with iatrogenic  
cicatrical strictures and external biliary fistulas. The important place in the diagnostics of intraoperative  
injuries, in cicatrical strictures and EBF belongs to endoscopic retrograde pancreatocholangiography (ERPHG).  
Polypositional fistulography is also informative in recognition of the pathology and at the choice of tactics for its  
elimination. We performed 49 ERPHG. A subsequent endoscopic papillosphincterotomy (EPST) was performed in  
41 patients. Control ERPHG after EPST was performed in 34 patients. Patients with EBF on the background of  
bile ducts cicatrical stricture were performed bougienage of the stenotic segment by biopsy forceps in the closed  
and open forms in the combination with the local diathermocoagulation of hard-to-cure scar segment. Then they  
were performed stenting of the cicatrical strictures area.  
Ethical approval  
The review board and ethics committee of Republican Specialized Center of Surgery named after  
acad.V.Vakhidov approved the study protocol and gave permission.  
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION  
The causes of cicatrical strictures and fistulas formation according to our observations were: bile ducts injuries  
and their inadequate drainage after cholecystectomy (90.2%), the stomach resection (7.0%) and complications of  
echinococcectomy (2.8%). In total we performed 49 attempts of endoscopic correction of adequate bile passage  
through anhepatic bile ducts in patients with stenosis and external biliary fistula (Table 1).  
Table 1. An efficiency of bile ducts strictures endoscopic treatment subject to their site level  
Treatment  
Treatment  
Total  
Stenosis level  
abs  
18  
19  
6
%
abs  
2
%
abs  
20  
21  
%
Distal part  
Middle part  
Proximal part  
Total  
41.9  
44.2  
13.9  
87.6  
33.3  
33.3  
33.3  
12.2  
40.8  
42.9  
16.3  
100  
2
2
8
43  
6
49  
Endoscopic treatment was performed in 43 patients. In 6 patients we did not manage to insert a conductor  
through the stenosis zone; in 2 patients it was not possible to install instruments (for the probing) through the  
conductor or to introduce endoprosthesis.  
EPST was performed as a stage of preparation for reconstructive surgery in 22 patients with a combination  
of cicatrical stricture with stenosing papillitis of the major duodenal papilla and residual calculus which were  
located below the stricture. 23 endoscopic transduodenal stentings of the external bile ducts stenotic area after  
primary surgical interventions were particularly singled out. Hepaticocholedoch strictures which were the  
cause of the EBF were found in all cases. We used the classification of E.I.Galperin at describing the level of  
hepaticocholedoch stricture [1].  
In 6 cases the stricture was located in the confluence zone and had a critical nature which was consisted of  
the obstructive jaundice progression. The direct bilirubin in these patients was from 200 to 300 μmol/l. In 2  
patients we observed initial signs of a hepatic failure in the form of encephalopathy, a decrease of albumin levels  
Turakulov UN. 2018. Endoscopic Interventions in Patients with External Biliary Fistulas Caused by Iatrogenic Injuries of Biliary Tracts. J. Life  
below than 30 g/l, a decrease in the prothrombin index below than 82%. We rated the patient’s condition as a  
second class according to the Child-Pugh scheme. The severity of patient’s condition besides the obstructive  
jaundice, in 63.3% of cases was stipulated by purulent cholangitis, hepatic failure. A partial stricture of  
hepaticocholedoch was revealed in all cases.  
In 19 cases the obstruction was located in the fusion zone of the bile duct with the bladder duct. Such  
position of the defect, in our opinion, is most typical, especially at the stage of the laparoscopic method  
mastering. All patients in this group were diagnosed promptly and appropriate interventions were performed. In  
18 cases an obstruction to the bile outflow was located in the distal part of the choledoch. Exactly in such cases  
doctors of general surgical departments encounter the problem of recurring interventions. The content of direct  
bilirubin in these patients was from 300 to 390 μm. They were timely hospitalized to our hospital before the  
development of liver failure. The endoscopic method including the probing of the stenotic segment in  
combination with local diathermocoagulation of the hard-bouging cicatricial segment we managed to restore  
the patency of the hepaticocholedoch and to perform stenting of the stenotic segment and it led to patients’  
recovery and their discharge after 6-8 days.  
The efficiency of drainage was estimated by endoscopic criteria, clinical condition of patients and also by  
laboratory indicators. Improvement of general condition, appearance of appetite, staining of feces and reduction  
or disappearance of skin itching were clinical signs of an effective drainage.  
During the first three days the activation of patients, a decrease or complete termination of the bile  
secretion from the external fistula, normalization of the temperature, a decrease in the intensity of icteric  
staining of the skin and urine were objectively noted. There was a decrease in the level of total and direct  
bilirubin, normalization of alkaline phosphatase levels, enzymes in laboratory indicators.  
Our observations showed that endoscopic treatment was effective almost in all patients with distal stenosis  
of the bile duct, in 19 from 21 patients with stenosis of the hepaticocholedoch middle part, the effectiveness of  
endoscopic treatment had been almost the same for these 2 groups of patients. In the treatment of proximal  
stenosis the success has been achieved in 6 from 8 cases and it differs both from the results of distal stenosis  
treatment and from the results of middle third stenosis drainage. Thus, the prospect of endoscopic treatment are  
determined by the localization of the cicatrical process and are less effective in patients with proximal strictures  
of common bile ducts.  
In order to prevent the incrustation of the drainage tube a constant intake of deoxycholic acid drugs was  
prescribed. It should be noted that complications associated with stents of external bile ducts were not observed.  
The stents were extracted during duodenoscopy at different periods (from 6 to 10 months). It must also be  
remembered that endoscopic manipulations can cause a number of complications: duodenal injury, hemorrhage,  
exacerbation of cholangitis, pain syndrome and pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis was developed in 18.4% of  
patients and it was stopped by conservative drugs and in 10.2% - hemorrhage from the EPST zone after  
endoscopic interventions. Hemorrhage was stopped by the electrocoagulation method [10]. There were no  
mortality outcomes in this group. Two months after the discharge 12 patients addressed with the signs of  
restenosis and they were performed a repeated endoscopic dilation. In 7 patients the biliostents independently  
emerged into the lumen of the intestine after 3 months, but the bile passage remained satisfactory. There is a  
stable remission at a small extent of stricture and with a greater extent of stricture and the CBD restriction had  
been noted by the 6th month which required recurring interventions. In 9 patients with a stricture length more  
than 0.5 cm endoscopic manipulations were ineffective and they were performed reconstructive surgeries. Only  
1 from 13 patients who were undergone balloon dilatation without biliostents had a relatively stable  
improvement, the rest of them were performed double or triple repeated dilation without any effect. They were  
performed reconstructive surgeries six months later.  
CONCLUSION  
Thus, the surgery of the external biliary fistula presents great difficulties. The choice of reconstructive and  
restorative surgeries depends on many factors. The level of fistula, its shape and direction, the cause, the nature  
of concomitant pathology are distinguished among them. Complex preoperative diagnostic results based on  
which the surgeon can carefully weighs indications or contraindications to some method of intervention are  
considerably significant. The use of transduodenal biliostenting makes it an alternative to the complex  
reconstructive interventions and creates the prospects for improving the treatment results of such complicated  
pathology as external biliary fistulas. The efficiency analysis of endoscopic treatment of anhepatic bile ducts  
Turakulov UN. 2018. Endoscopic Interventions in Patients with External Biliary Fistulas Caused by Iatrogenic Injuries of Biliary Tracts. J. Life  
iatrogenic strictures showed that regardless to the impressive number of unsatisfactory results, this technique  
had the advantage of being a stage treatment and under certain conditions provided the treatment of purulent  
cholangitis and obstructive jaundice. This circumstance is very important at determining further surgical tactics  
in patients with severe degree of obstructive jaundice and purulent cholangitis. Endoscopic manipulations  
promote the relief of clinical manifestations of CBD cicatrical stricture and provide the choice of the optimal  
reconstructive surgery.  
DECLARATIONS  
Authors’ Contributions  
All authors contributed equally to this work.  
Acknowledgements  
This work was supported by Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Republican  
Specialized Center of Surgery named after acad. V.Vakhidov. Tashkent. Uzbekistan.  
Competing interests  
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.  
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