Surgical Removal of Intrahepatic Bile Duct Stones Using a Rigid Nephroscope: A First Case Report

Hepatolithiasis is characterized by its frequent recurrence, and its requirement for multiple interventions which can be performed radiologically, endoscopically or surgically. Although hepatic resection - concomitant removal of hepatic stones and its provocative pathology as well - has remained the definitive treatment of hepatolithiasis, the burden of the surgery limits its widespread application. In a certain proportion of patients, those for whom hepatic resection and endoscopic/percutaneous approaches are not indicated, surgical removal of intrahepatic stones can be attempted. In those circumstances, hepatic stones located outside the direct visual field can make the stone-extracting procedure cumbersome. We experienced an operation of a 66-year-old patient who had already received left lateral sectionectomy, cholecystectomy and choledochojejunostomy. His condition was due to impacted, recurrent stones packed between the hepatic hilum and the second confluence of the hepatic duct. Instead of revising the prior choledochojejunostomy site, after entering the jejunum 4 cm below the choledochojejunostomy site, we inserted a rigid nephroscope into the hepatic duct. Under the magnified view presented by a telescope inside the nephroscope, stone extracting was easily done using forceps inserted into the nephroscope. We think a nephroscope is useful in extracting intrahepatic stones, especially for large impacted stones located below the second confluence of the hepatic duct.

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