Injuries of the biliary system are rare. They can broadly be divided into traumatic biliary injuries and iatrogenic biliary injuries. Former are usually part of associated abdominal trauma, blunt or penetrating, and latter are consequence of surgical, endoscopic or invasive radiological diagnostic or therapeutic procedures done in various liver, pancreatic or disorders or the part of upper gastrointestinal system. They occur more commonly than traumatic injuries but still are rare. Those injuries represent important aspect in healthcare system because of their complexity and diversity in management, associated morbidity and mortality and expenditure in healthcare systems. This chapter will put focus on those injuries, including their classification, etiology and mechanism of occurrence, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment options, postoperative complications, and, when iatrogenic injuries are concerned, methods for prevention of those injuries.
Part of the book: Topics in the Surgery of the Biliary Tree