The Berne-Donovan technique for diverticulization of a severe lateral non-traumatic duodenal fistula

Background: The duodenal «diverticulization» is a surgical technique described by Berne and colleagues in 1968 for the treatment of combined duodenal pancreatic injuries. It consisted of closure of the duodenal injury by suture and tube duodenostomy, gastric antrectomy with end-to-side isoperistaltic Billroth II gastrojejunostomy, and abdominal drainage. As evidenced from the literature in few reports, this technique has also been adopted for lateral duodenal lacerations in non traumatic conditions. Most biliary disease may be responsible for duodenal injury. Case presentation: Herein, we describe the application of this emergency technique for the treatment of a wide lateral duodenal laceration discovered intra-operatively during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. A comprehensive critical review of the different surgical methods proposed for duodenal protection in case of severe duodenal lesions has been performed and discussed. Conclusion: Duodenal injuries represent a challenging condition, especially for surgeons with limited experience in this field. The key-message of this report is to consider emergency surgical techniques in difficult unexpected intra-operative situations which may occur during routine surgical practice.