Laparoscopic Intraoperative Cholangiography Interpretation by Surgeons versus Radiologists, A Comparative Study and Review of 200 Cholangiographies

Introduction. In some medical centers, LIOC are exclusively interpreted by surgeons. The degree of accuracy of surgeon’s interpretation compared to that of radiologist (gold standard) and its clinical significance are not well studied. Objective. study whether surgeons are accurate in interpreting IOC or not by comparing the interpretation of LIOC by surgeons to the postoperative interpretation of same cholangiograms by radiologists, and study its clinical significance. Methods. A retrospective study of 200 consecutive patients who underwent selective LIOC in Al-Khor community hospital in Qatar during the period from May 2005 till December 2011. A radiology senior consultant blindly reviewed the cholangiograms (Reading B) then we compared these findings (ductal dilatation, defects of filling and passage of contrast into duodenum) to LIOC results that were reported intraoperatively by surgeons for the same patients (Reading A). Results. Ductal dilatation was found in (27.5%) of Reading A compared to 19% in Reading B. filling defects were reported in (20.5%) of Reading A compared to 14.5% in Reading B. Conclusion. there is significant difference of LIOC interpretation between surgeons and radiologist specially in the detection of defects of fillings although this variability did not affect the clinical outcome.