Hepatico-Jejunostomy

The hepatic duct is the tubular channel that carries bile from the liver to the small intestine to aid digestion. A hepaticojejunostomy is a surgical procedure to make a connection (anastomosis) between the hepatic duct and the jejunum, which is the middle portion of the small intestine. This technique is called the Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy.

Normally, the hepatic duct joins the cystic duct (the duct that carries bile from the gallbladder) to form the common bile duct that drains the bile into the duodenum. When disease or injury in the biliary system obstructs the free flow of bile, digestion is impaired. A hepaticojejunostomy is performed to ensure that the bile from the liver freely drains into the intestine. Benign strictures in the common bile duct due to stones, injury or inflammation and cancers of the bile duct or gall bladder can be treated with this procedure.

A hepaticojejunostomy is performed under general anesthesia. The patient may need hospitalization for up to a week. Usually, oral diet is started after 1-2 days and the patient is on normal diet by 5 days after surgery.