Common Bile Duct Dilatation after Cholecystectomy: Open Versus Laparoscopic Procedure

Background/Aims: Cholecystectomy as a factor causing common bile duct (CBD) dilatation has been debated. The aim of this study was to investigate CBD dilatation after cholecystectomy in patients with a preoperative CBD diameter of <6mm. Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 101 patients who underwent cholecystectomy. These patients were divided into 2 groups, the open cholecystectomy group (OC group) and the laparoscopic cholecystectomy group (LC group). Results: The postoperative mean CBD diameter was 5.80 +/- 0.49mm in the OC group and 5.75 +/- 0.47mm in the LC group; the diameters were not significantly different between the 2 groups (p<0.6699). With regard to the change in body weight after surgery, in the OC group 71.1%, patients gained weight, 20% showed no change and 8.9% lost weight; the corresponding numbers in the LC group were 75%, 23.2% and 1.8% patients, respectively. Thus, there were no significant differences in terms of weight changes between the 2 groups (p<0.6607, p<0.6973 and p<0.1690, respectively). Conclusions: For patients with preoperative CBD diameters of <6mm no compensatory dilatation occurs after open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy.