INCIDENCE OF BILE INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH CHOLEDOCHOLITHIASIS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 77  (1) , 12-17
Abstract
Patients (522) who underwent choledochotomy because of biliary lithiasis were studied. The relationship of different factors such as advanced age, previous surgery and length of clinical history to the incidence of bile infection was discussed. Bile infection was seen more often in patients of advanced age, with previous surgery and with longstanding biliary lithiasis; it was also associated with a high incidence of common bile duct dilatation, a high incidence of common bile duct pathological changes and a high incidence of common bile duct primary stones. Thus, bile infection is evidently a result of biliary stasis; poor drainage of the biliary tree due to dilatation and laxity of the bile duct is a predominant feature. Thus, a drainage procedure supplementary to choledochotomy appears to be warranted for those patients.