Long-term effects and quality of life following definitive bile duct reconstruction

The study covered a cohort of 236 patients with transection of hepatic duct. It aimed to assess the long-term outcome of the reconstruction and a patient's quality of life. The literature contains many controversies over timing of biliary reconstruction and who ought to repair the injury but just few reports on the long-term outcomes and patient's quality of life. The bile duct system was reconstructed by hepaticojejunostomy in 236 patients. Of these, 139 patients were initially repaired at a public hospital and referred because of stricture (Group A, N = 59) or of an anastomosis dehiscence (Group B, N = 80); 97 were unrepaired and referred because of a surgical clip occluding the duct (Group C, N = 39) or bile leakage from an open duct (Group D, N = 58). All patients were surveyed in 2015 for quality of life using WHOQOL-BREF. The mean time of follow-up was 150 months. The time without symptoms amounted to >5 years in 78.6% of patients. The mean time before anastomosis renewal ranged from 8.9 to 4.7 years (P < .04). Multivariate analysis showed infection, failure of reconstruction in public hospital, and female sex as factors responsible for poor long-term outcome. Patients in Group C had better quality of life than the others (P < .001) with respect to physical health (median 67.85) and psychological condition (median 79.16). The overall mortality was 15.2%. The long-term result of reconstruction depends on the cause of referral which, in turn, arises from subsequent intervention taken in local hospitals.