Primary Common Bile Duct Closure

OBJECTIVE: To show that primary closure of the common bile duct following minicholecystectomy is safe and effective. DESIGN: Eighty-nine primary common bile duct closures done over 13 years. SETTING: General community hospital. PATIENTS: Patients with cholangiographic evidence of stones in the common bile duct. INTERVENTIONS: Minicholecystectomy followed by a primary common bile duct closure or common bile duct closure over a T tube. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Successful clinical result of primary common bile duct closure following minicholecystectomy. RESULTS: Eighty-nine primary closures of the common bile duct between 1983 and 1986, resulting in successful clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Primary closure of the common bile duct following minicholecystectomy is safe, effective, and inexpensive.