Hepatic Portocholecystostomy: 97 Cases From a Single Institution

Objectives: Approximately 20% of cases of biliary atresia do not involve the gallbladder, the cystic duct, and the common bile duct. In these cases, a hepatoportocholecystostomy (HPC) may be performed instead of the classical hepatoportoenterostomy (HPE).

Methods: We reviewed our cohort to investigate the efficacy of HPC and the associated surgical complications and clinical problems.

Results: From 1984 to 2009, 97 patients underwent HPC in our institution. In the first 6 months of the postoperative period no patient presented with bacterial cholangitis. Nine patients had bile leakage, and 1 patient had a gallbladder obstruction. For these 10 patients, HPC was modified in HPE. Jaundice clearance was maintained after HPE, but 4 of the patients presented 1 or more cholangitis episodes. After 6 months, there were no cases of cholangitis recorded, 2 patients presented bile leakage and 4 patients experienced gallbladder obstruction. After 5 years of follow-up, 46% of the patients were jaundice free with their native liver and 29.4% were transplanted.

Conclusions: In patients with biliary atresia with patent extrahepatic bile ducts, hepatoportocholecystomy is a good surgical technique that can prevent cholangitis. These results are counterbalanced by specific surgical complications that need to be known and looked for in the postoperative period.