Exploration of the common bile duct through the cystic duct.

Formal exploration of the common bile duct through choledochotomy is a standard surgical technique; however, the prevalence of postoperative morbidity and mortality from intraoperative extraction of stones and debris of the common duct remains significant. From 1982 to present, we performed 25 explorations of the common bile duct entirely through the cystic duct in patients in whom duct size was large enough to permit passage of instrumentation greater than 6.5 millimeters in diameter. All instrumentation, including biliary Fogarty balloon-tipped catheterization and fiberoptic choledochoscopy, was used through the cystic duct without difficulty. No complications of bile leakage or stricture formation were encountered, and all patients are doing well at five and one-half years after surgical treatment without known retained stones. The early community hospital experience of this report supports the view that exploration of the common bile duct through a suitably sized cystic duct is a safe, efficient and effective alternative to choledochotomy for exposure of the common bile duct.