Publication:

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in wall echo complex gall stone disease: a study

Background There are so many subtitles for difficult laproscopic cholecystectomy. Stone in the neck of gall bladder constitutes one of the entities. Wall echo complex is an ultrasound terminology used for cholelithiasis. It has three layers, first the pericholecystic fat between gallbladder and liver. Second layer consists of gall bladder wall. The third layer consists of echogenic stone itself. Wall echo complex is one of the entities which constitute difficult laproscopic cholecystectomy. Wall echo complex in the neck of the gall bladder is particularly difficult gall bladder where the conversion rates are high.

Methods The study was conducted in Department of Surgery. Standard four port cholecystectomy was done in 50 patients. Wall echo complex in all these patients was reported by ultrasonologist. Difficulties in operating wall echo complex cholelithiasis consisted of dissection of neck of gall bladder due to adhesions and a sleeve of fat covering the calot’s triangle. The difficulty of wall echo cholelithiasis was managed by opening the neck of gall bladder and evacuating the stones into a separate latex bag. By this procedure the difficult wall echo cholelithiasis was managed in all cases. Ligaclips were used for ligation of cystic duct, cystic artery and pericholecystic veins.

Results The evacuation of stones from the neck of gall bladder led to an easy cholecystectomy in 46 patients while the four patients had conversion to open cholecystectomy.

Conclusions Wall echo complex although an ultrasonologists entity but is a difficult gall bladder for laproscopic cholecystectomy.