Saving the life of a patient with rare cholecystoduodenal fistula and common bile duct stones

Vinh Long General Hospital has just successfully operated on a patient with gallbladder-duodenal fistula and common bile duct stones. This is a rare, complicated disease with a high risk of complications.

On October 23, Vinh Long General Hospital announced that its doctors had successfully performed surgery on a patient with a rare gallbladder-duodenal fistula and common bile duct stones.

Previously, patient NTM (67 years old, residing in Vinh Long province) was hospitalized with a persistent dull pain in the right hypochondrium, accompanied by jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss. The patient had been diagnosed with gallstones, but had not had surgery due to concerns about his old age.

Successful endoscopic surgery by medical team of Vinh Long General Hospital

PHOTO: NAM LONG

Through clinical examination, testing, ultrasound and abdominal CT scan, the doctor discovered that the patient had many large stones in the common bile duct, many stones in the gallbladder, and a fistula between the gallbladder and duodenum (a very rare complication of chronic gallstone disease).

If this condition is not treated promptly, the patient may face many dangerous complications such as biliary peritonitis, biliary tract infection, intestinal obstruction due to stones or gastrointestinal bleeding. After an interdisciplinary consultation, the medical team decided to perform laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder, close the cholecystoduodenal fistula and remove the common bile duct stones.

During the surgery, the doctors found that the gallbladder wall was thick and firmly attached to the duodenal wall, with a fistula of about 1 cm, and bile was flowing into the duodenum. The team performed a meticulous dissection, cut the gallbladder, closed the fistula, and removed all the stones in the common bile duct through an endoscope.

After surgery, the patient recovered well, ate and drank again soon, had good bile drainage inside and outside the liver, and was discharged on the morning of October 23, after one week of treatment.

The doctor congratulated Mrs. M. on being discharged from the hospital on the morning of October 23.

PHOTO: NAM LONG

Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Chi, Deputy Head of the General Surgery Department, Vinh Long General Hospital, said that gallbladder-duodenal fistula is a very rare complication, accounting for less than 0.2% of gallbladder disease cases. Usually, this condition is only discovered by chance during surgery or when the patient has serious complications.

Traditional treatment of cholecystoduodenal fistula is often performed by open surgery, however with the development of endoscopic techniques and the experience of the medical team, laparoscopic surgery can now be performed safely, minimally invasively and helps patients recover much faster.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuu-song-benh-nhan-ro-tui-mat-ta-trang-kem-soi-ong-mat-chu-hiem-gap-185251022175302373.htm