[The significance of intraoperative bacteriological findings in operations on the gallbladder and biliary tract (author's transl)].

The symptomless bacterial contamination of the biliary tree is apt to be the origin of general or local postoperative complications. The present retrospective study of 369 bilary operations with intraoperative bacteriologica investigations yielded the following results: septic wound complications were found in 9% of the cases with bacteriocholia against 3.5% in the cases with abacterial bile. In geriatric patients with complicated gallstone disease the bacterial contamination of the bile exceeds 50% of all cases. The importance of an adequate antibiotic treatment for this group, starting intraoperatively, is stressed.