Postoperative bile duct strictures

Bile duct strictures are an uncommon, serious consequence of injury during cholecystectomy and other operations on the biliary tree. Preoperative cholangiography is essential to define the biliary anatomy in all cases. The elective surgical management of these lesions generally is best accomplished with a choledochojejunostomy or hepaticojejunostomy, usually to a Roux-en-Y loop of jejunum. Although nonoperative management with percutaneous transhepatic or endoscopic balloon dilatation has been successful, surgical management would appear to have the best overall results in long-term follow-up.