Laparoscopic unroofing of symptomatic congenital liver cysts

Background: Unroofing is the therapy of choice in patients with symptomatic, nonparasitic benign liver cysts-either solitary or diffuse. Techniques which require laparotomy, such as cystojejunostomy or pericystectomy, generally do not justify surgical morbidity in benign conditions. Methods: We report the outcome of eight fenestration operations in seven patients with hepatic cysts in laparoscopic performance, Patients were reexamined after a mean followup period of 30 months. Results: All operations were finished without conversion. There were no perioperative complications. Only one patient had a recurrence and was successfully reoperated via laparoscopy including cholecystectomy without refilling of the cyst until reexamination. Conclusions: Adoption of minimal access surgery in these patients occurred without loss of quality and offered the well-known benefits of laparoscopic surgery.