Treatment of retained common bile duct stones: A prospective controlled study comparing monooctanoin and heparin

Abstract

A prospective controlled trial comparing the efficacy of heparin and monooctanoin as solvents of retained common bile duct stones through the T-tube is presented. The results were compared to those obtained by the saline washout technique which was used as a retrospective comparison group. After treatment, 33% and 65% of the patients treated with heparinized saline solution and monooctanoin, respectively, showed absence of stones on cholangiograms (p<0.01). In patients submitted to the washout technique, 20% of 54 patients who completed the treatment showed disappearance of stones. Side effects during infusion were more serious in the monooctanoin group and 1 patient developed sepsis in this group. The results of the present study strongly suggest that monooctanoin may be a reasonable alternative treatment for those patients who show residual common bile duct stones after surgery. © 1983 Société Internationale de Chirurgie.