Background: The treatment of choledocholithiasis with nondilated common bile duct (CBD) is a challenge for surgeons who often choose endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) staging surgery instead of simultaneous laparoscopic CBD exploration with LC because of the small CBD diameter. This study aims to introduce and assess the clinical applicability of a technique we developed to identify and extract CBD stones using laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed surgical procedures and clinical data of 13 patients who underwent LC and CBD exploration using LUS between May 2022 and August 2023. The cystic duct was used for CBD stone removal. Results: Ten patients were successfully treated; 2 patients with residual stones were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, whereas 1 patient required a microincision near the CBD and choledochoscopy because of stone incarceration in the duodenal papilla. The CBD diameter was 6 mm (5-9 mm). There were less than three CBD stones, with diameters of 2-6 mm; the median operative time was 105 minutes (range, 52-155 minutes). One patient developed postoperative cholangitis. The median postoperative hospital stay was 6 days (3-8 days). The stone clearance rate was 76.9%, and the CBD stone detection rate was 100%. No intraoperative complications, postoperative bile leakage, and mortality occurred. Conclusions: CBD exploration and transcystic stone extraction under LUS guidance are safe and effective approaches for patients with choledocholithiasis; strict control over surgical indications is necessary. This study could provide new strategies for effectively treating choledocholithiasis.
Keywords: choledocholithiasis; laparoscopic common bile duct exploration; laparoscopic ultrasound; nondilated common bile duct; transcystic approach.