The appropriate management of gallstones and gallbladder disease in patients undergoing gastric bypass remains unknown. Several therapeutic modalities are used and include performing cholecystectomy on all patients at the time of gastric bypass, performing concomitant cholecystectomy only when patients have gallstones and performing cholecystectomy only in the presence of both symptoms and gallstones. Some groups administer ursodeoxycholic acid for gallstone prevention in the postoperative period. All treatment modalities are analyzed and their results and rationality are discussed.

Seven days after surgery, 63% of patients had some degree of splenic hypoperfusion, and 6 months after surgery, 83% of patients had normal perfusion. CT scans showed varices in 26 patients, and endoscopy revealed varicose veins in 11. Two patients experienced bleeding; markers of splenic hypofunction were found in 59% of cases.

Background. Acute biliary diseases during pregnancy have been classically managed conservatively. Advances in minimally invasive surgery and the high recurrence rate of symptoms observed changed this management. Methods. This is a prospective observational study. Initial management was medical. Unresponsive patients were treated with minimally invasive techniques including gallbladder percutaneous aspiration or cholecystostomy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy, depending on the pregnancy trimester and underlying diagnosis. Results. 122 patients were admitted. 69 (56.5%) were unresponsive to medical treatment. Recurrent gallbladder colic was the most frequent indication for minimally invasive intervention, followed by acute cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis, and acute biliary pancreatitis. 8 patients were treated during the first trimester, 54 during the second, and 7 during the last trimester. There was no fetal morbidity or mortality. Maternal morbidity was minor with no mortality. Conclusion. Acute biliary tract diseases during pregnancy may be safely treated with minimally invasive procedures according to the underlying diagnosis and to the trimester of pregnancy.

Laparoscopic bile duct reexploration can be safely performed and should be considered as an alternative to open surgery.