Bile Duct Injuries

Shortly after Langenbuch performed the first cholecystectomy in 1877 in Berlin, the first bile duct injury associated to cholecystectomy occurred and was published. For decades frequency maintained low, until the presentation of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, when the number of cases complicated with bile duct injury doubled. Nowadays, it is estimated that this injury occurs in up to every three to six cholecystectomies. In 2019, despite the great efforts, educational programs, simulators and learning curves, injuries continue to happen. In some way, it represents a great emotional burden both for the surgeon and the patient. This text compiles a wide revision of this problem. In the United States, it represents a health issue due to the costs it carries. In Mexico, where the information published by the authors is gathered, there are no official statistics of the problem. The different chapters of the book deeply explore anatomical and physiological aspects of the bile duct, the etiology of the lesions and the mechanisms or tools to approach the patient, as the multidisciplinary outcomes of the injury. This book is addressed to all health professionals, especially surgeons, who are involved in these complex cases directly or not. We intend to approach, in a wide and profound manner, all the situations related to the management of these lesions.