Placement of a double-pigtail ERBD tube after primary closure of the common bile duct in three patients with choledocholithiasis.

We devised a procedure for the placement of a double-pigtail endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) tube as an alternative to the placement of a T-tube. We used the procedure, after primary closure of the common bile duct, in three patients undergoing surgery for choledocholithiasis. All three patients were in their eighties, and all were diagnosed with cholecystolithiasis and choledocholithiasis. In all three, there were concerns about possible complications with the use of a T-tube. Two of the patients were senile and were thought to be likely to pull out the tube, and incomplete fistulation was considered possible in the third patient. Thus, there was an increased risk of bile peritonitis in all three patients. Placement of the ERBD tube was successful in all three patients, and there were no postoperative complications. The hospital stay was a few weeks shorter than the usual stay with the placement of a T-tube. We conclude that primary closure of the common bile duct with the placement of a double-pigtail ERBD tube is clinically safe and advantageous for choledocholithiasis patients with senile dementia and for patients with possible incomplete fistulation.