A bile duct injury occurs when the surgeon mistakenly cuts the bile duct instead of the nearby cystic duct. When this occurs bile leake into the abdominal area and causes infection. Bile ducts that have been mistakenly cut must be repaired; this is done through surgery.

Bile Duct Injury Side Effects

Because patients recover rapidly after gallbladders removed laparoscopically and the majority of them are back to their pre-surgery state within ten days to two weeks, patients who continue to complain of symptoms and are not improving should be evaluated for possible bile duct injury. Patients with bile duct injuries may exhibit symptoms soon after the surgery or days, weeks, or months after the procedure.

Some of the symptoms associated with bile duct injury are:

general malaise
nausea
vomiting
loss of appetite or anorexia
abdominal pain
low-grade fever
jaundice

Patients who develop delayed symptoms from a bile duct injury may be suffering from scarring of the bile duct as a result of the gallbladder removal surgery. These patients typically exhibit a dilatation of their bile duct above the point of injury. At the point of injury the scarring gives rise to narrowing so that bile cannot go through. The bile then spills over into their blood and the patients typically develop jaundice.

IMPORTANT: If you experience any of the symptoms above (persistent pain, fever, jaundice) after your gallbladder surgery you should contact your physician IMMEDIATELY. Bile duct injuries are very serious and can be fatal if not properly treated in a timely manner.

To reduce the incidence of bile duct injuries the The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons recommends that Intraoperative Cholangiograms, an x-ray procedure, “be applied liberally” before surgery to help the surgeon identify sensitive anatomy. A review of scientific research published in March, 2007 in the Journal of American College of Surgeons reinforces this recommendation. Pre-surgery cholangiogram procedures cost between $100 and $200, take approximately ten minutes, and provide the surgeon with a better awareness of what anatomy requires excision.

Studies have shown that bile duct injuries are reduced when cholangiograms are performed. Additionally, surgeons may want to inject a dye into the gallbladder and the bile ducts so they won’t injure the bile ducts as they remove the gallbladder, according to a study of 1,570,361 gallbladder operations. (JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Subject: Health, ISSN: 0098-7484,

Again, remember that bile duct injuries during laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries are rare. However, it’s always important to be informed before having any medical procedure performed on your body.

Ask your doctor if he/she plans to perform an Intraoperative Cholangiogram before your surgery. Ask them what they think of the procedure. You may also want to consult your primary care physician or family doctor about the matter.

Remember, it’s always good to be informed before getting any type of surgical procedure.