The efficacy of laparoscopy in acute cholecystitis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis and establish the outcomes of this treatment modality at North Oakland Medical Centers. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis over a three-year period (January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1996), performed at a University-affiliated urban teaching hospital, North Oakland Medical Centers, Pontiac, Michigan. Five hundred and fifty-seven patients underwent surgical treatment for gallbladder disease; 88 patients had acute cholecystitis, and 469 patients had chronic cholecystitis. Acute cholecystitis patients underwent surgery within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms; the patient's selection for laparoscopic cholecystectomy or open cholecystectomy depended on severity of disease, co-morbid factors and surgeon's preference. The parameters of age, gender, operating (OR) time, length of stay, complications, conversion rates from laparoscopic cholecystectomy to open cholecystectomy, and cost were compared in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and/or open cholecystectomy. RESULTS: Patients chosen to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis tended to be younger females. Patients treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis had shorter OR times and LOS compared to patients treated with open cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. Conversion rates (CR) were 22% in acute cholecystitis and 5.5% in chronic cholecystitis during the study period; CR diminished considerably between the first and third year. Complications were also lower in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy vs. open cholecystectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy appears to be a reliable, safe, and cost-effective treatment modality for acute cholecystitis; however, the surgical approach should be cautionary because of the spectrum of potential technical hazards. CR is improving as surgeons gain experience.     

Significance of preoperative ultrasound measurement of gallbladder wall thickness

Evaluation of patients with signs and symptoms of biliary tract disease usually includes ultrasound assessment of the gallbladder. Does measurement of the thickness of the gallbladder wall yield any significant information to the clinical surgeon? The records of all my patients undergoing cholecystectomy since 1990 were reviewed. The entire series consists of 401 consecutive patients, in whom 388 procedures were completed laparoscopically, with 14 patients requiring conversion to an open cholecystectomy. Each patient's preoperative evaluation included a gallbladder ultrasound, which included measurement of the diameter of the gallbladder wall. The entire series of cholecystectomies was evaluated according to the ultrasound measured diameter of the gallbladder wall. A thin gallbladder wall was less than 3 mm in diameter. A thick gallbladder wall was 3 mm or greater in diameter. Of the 401 consecutive patients who underwent cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallbladder disease, 86 (21.5%) were removed laparoscopically for acalculous disease. Eleven per cent of patients with acalculous cholecystitis had acute cholecystitis and 89 per cent had chronic cholecystitis. Every patient with either a thin or thick gallbladder wall with acalculous cholecystitis had a successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Three-hundred fifteen patients had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for calculous cholecystitis. In patients with calculous cholecystitis, 28.3 per cent had acute cholecystitis and 71.7 per cent had chronic cholecystitis. The gallbladder wall was found to be greater than 3 mm in 38 per cent of patients with acute calculous cholecystitis and greater than 3 mm in 41 per cent of patients with chronic calculous cholecystitis. One-hundred, forty-two patients, out of a series total of 401, had a gallbladder wall thickness greater than 3 mm by preoperative sonography and 14 of these patients (10%) required conversion to an open cholecystectomy. A preoperative gallbladder ultrasound evaluation for symptomatic cholecystitis, which documents a thick gallbladder wall (> or =3 mm) with calculi, is a clinical warning for the laparoscopic surgeon of the potential for a difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure which may require conversion to an open cholecystectomy procedure.     

Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the appropriate management for acute gangrenous cholecystitis

Treatment of severe acute cholecystitis by laparoscopic cholecystectomy remains controversial because of technical difficulties and high rates of complications. We determined whether early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is appropriate for acute gangrenous cholecystitis. The medical records of 116 patients with acute gangrenous cholecystitis admitted to the Korea University Guro Hospital between January 2005 and December 2009 were reviewed. The early operation group, those patients who had cholecystectomies within 4 days of the diagnosis, was compared with the delayed operation group, who had cholecystectomies 4 days after the diagnosis. Of the 116 patients, 57 were in the early operation group and 59 were in the delayed operation group. There were no statistical differences between the groups with respect to gender, age, body mass index, operative methods, major complications, duration of symptoms, mean operative time (98 vs 107 minutes), or postoperative hospital stay. However, the total hospital stay was significantly longer in the delayed operation group. More patients underwent preoperative percutaneous cholecystostomy in the delayed operation group (3.5 vs 15.3%). Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute gangrenous cholecystitis is safe and feasible. There is no advantage to postponing an urgent operation in patients with acute gangrenous cholecystitis.     

Lymphoeosinophilic cholecystitis: A rare cause of acalculous cholecystitis in immunocompetent patients – A case report

IntroductionEosinophilic and lymphoeosinophilic cholecystitis are uncommonly encountered causes of acalculous cholecystitis characterised by a clinical presentation of acute cholecystitis with eosinophilic infiltration of the gallbladder. Acalculous cholecystitis is a disease that is traditionally associated with patients who are critically unwell and immunosuppressed.Presentation of caseA fit and well 37-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 12 -h history of constant upper abdominal pain radiating through to his back. Abdominal examination revealed tenderness in the right upper quadrant with a positive Murphy’s sign. An abdominal ultrasound was performed, revealing a thickened gallbladder wall with probe tenderness, but no gallstones. He proceeded to an uneventful emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Histological examination of the gallbladder revealed mucosal and transmural inflammation comprising of lymphocytes and more than 50 % eosinophils. No gallstones were found. A diagnosis of lymphoeosinophilic cholecystitis was made. The patient had improvement in his symptoms and was discharged home. He was well at follow-up.DiscussionThere is a small subset of immunocompetent patients who are not critically unwell who present with acalculous cholecystitis. There is significant hesitancy in offering a cholecystectomy to these patients without radiological evidence of gallstones or sludge preoperatively. Cholecystectomy should be offered to these patients if the clinical picture fits acute cholecystitis.ConclusionEosinophilic and lymphoeosinophilic cholecystitis are important causes of acalculous cholecystitis that can occur in immunocompetent patients. The decision to offer the patient a cholecystectomy should be based on clinical presentation and examination, rather than the absence or presence of gallstones.     

Comparison of laparoscopic and minilap cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis

The charts of all patients with acute cholecystitis undergoing either laparoscopic or minilap cholecystectomy at the Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility between October 1, 1991, and August 15, 1993, were retrospectively reviewed. During that period, 54 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 45 patients had minilap procedures. The two groups had similar mean age, sex distribution, temperature, leukocyte count, gallbladder wall thickness, and duration of preoperative symptoms. While laparoscopic cholecystectomy took an average of 16 min longer to perform than minilap cholecystectomy, patients who had laparoscopic cholecystectomy had less blood loss, reduced postoperative narcotic needs, and shorter hospital stays.     

LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY FOR ACUTE CHOLECYSTITIS

Sixty-eight cases of acute cholecystitis managed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) are reviewed. Thirty-two patients were admitted up to 10 days after onset of symptoms and 31 were completed by LC. One patient was referred from intensive care with gangrenous acalculus cholecystitis and was completed by LC but required subsequent laparotomy to control a bleeding omental vessel. Five patients were admitted with recurrent attacks of pain and histology confirmed resolving acute cholecystitis. Thirty patients had LC on routine operating lists, having recently had pain within 10 days of admission. Histology confirmed acute cholecystitis or resolving acute cholecystitis in these patients. All were completed by LC. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a very effective treatment for acute cholecystitis if complete dissection of anatomy can be performed.     

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis.

Sixty-eight cases of acute cholecystitis managed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) are reviewed. Thirty-two patients were admitted up to 10 days after onset of symptoms and 31 were completed by LC. One patient was referred from intensive care with gangrenous acalculus cholecystitis and was completed by LC but required subsequent laparotomy to control a bleeding omental vessel. Five patients were admitted with recurrent attacks of pain and histology confirmed resolving acute cholecystitis. Thirty patients had LC on routine operating lists, having recently had pain within 10 days of admission. Histology confirmed acute cholecystitis or resolving acute cholecystitis in these patients. All were completed by LC. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a very effective treatment for acute cholecystitis if complete dissection of anatomy can be performed.     

The value of percutaneous ultrasound in predicting conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy due to acute cholecystitis

Background

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the treatment of choice for gallstone disease. Advantages of the laparoscopic approach include lower morbidity and mortality rates, reduced length of hospital stay, and earlier return to work. In acute cholecystitis, severe inflammation makes laparoscopic dissection technically more demanding, with a higher risk of related complications that require conversion to open cholecystectomy.

Methods

We reviewed the records of 5,596 patients who underwent cholecystectomy between 1993 and 2011 in a single institution. A laparoscopic approach was undertaken in 4,105 patients (73.4 %). The ultrasound signs of acute cholecystitis were found in 542 patients (13.2 %) who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We analyzed the ultrasound presentations of acute cholecystitis in patients who required conversion to open cholecystectomy and compared them with the ultrasound signs of acute cholecystitis in patients who had a completed laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Results

A conversion to open cholecystectomy in patients with acute cholecystitis was necessary in 24 % (n = 130) of the patients compared to 3.4 % of the patients with uncomplicated gallstone disease. The most frequent ultrasound findings in patients requiring conversion were a pericholecystic exudate in 42 %, a difficult identification of anatomical structures due to local severe inflammation in 34 %, and gallbladder wall thickening of >5 mm in 31 %. Additionally, when the duration of symptoms exceeded 3 days, more than half of the patients required conversion to open cholecystectomy and the conversion rate was fivefold higher than for those with a shorter duration of acute cholecystitis.

Conclusions

In patients with severe acute cholecystitis found on ultrasound, combined with gallbladder wall thickening to >5 mm, pericholecystic exudates or abscess adjacent to the gallbladder, difficulty identifying anatomical structures within Calot’s triangle, specifically when the duration of symptoms exceeds 3 days, cholecystectomy should be done as an open approach because of the high risk of conversion.     

The timing of surgery for cholecystitis: a review of 202 consecutive patients at a large municipal hospital

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, cholecystectomy for cholecystitis is performed within 3 days of the onset of symptoms or after 5 weeks, allowing for resolution of the inflammatory response. This study reviewed the outcomes of cholecystectomy performed for patients with gallstone disease in the acute (n = 45), intermediate (n = 55), and delayed (n = 102) periods after the onset of symptoms. METHODS: The medical records of 202 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at a large municipal hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The primary outcomes studied were length of hospital stay, conversion to open cholecystectomy, and complications. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the conversion rate (acute [18%] vs intermediate [20%] vs delayed [11%]) or complication rate (acute [16%] vs intermediate [9%] vs delayed [7%]) among the 3 groups. The delayed group had a significantly shorter length of hospital stay than the intermediate or acute group (3.1 +/- 3.8 vs 4.3 +/- 3.8 vs 1.7 +/- 2.1, respectively, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who present with acute symptoms of cholecystitis should undergo surgery during the same admission, regardless of the duration of symptoms.     

Acute cholecystitis: when is the best time for laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is no more an elective procedure. The question is when to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the face of acute cholecystitis. The last decade (1995-2004) 297 patients had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. One hundred forty six of them were operated in the first 24-48h after the onset of symptoms (group I), 68 were operated in less than 4 weeks time after the attack of the acute cholecystitis (group II), while the rest 83 patients had a history of acute cholecystitis at least four weeks before their elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (group III). Analysis of the operative time, complications and hospital stay showed that laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis is the recommended surgical procedure. The success of the operation depends on the degree of the inflammatory changes in the gallbladder and the expertise of the operator both in emergency and laparoscopic surgery. Timing of the operation is crucial to executing a successful procedure. The operation is easier, faster and safer when performed in first 4-5 days of the onset of symptoms.     

Cholelithiasis and aortic reconstruction

Identification of cholelithiasis during abdominal aortic reconstruction with placement of a vascular prosthesis provides cause for hesitation in performing a simultaneous cholecystectomy because of the potential contamination of the graft. However, the association of cholelithiasis with cholecystitis is well established and was observed in a group of patients who had known cholelithiasis following aortic reconstruction. Cholelithiasis was noted in 50 of 250 patients who underwent reconstruction of the abdominal aorta or its major branches. Seventeen of the 50 patients with cholelithiasis underwent a cholecystectomy prior to aortic reconstruction. Sixteen patients underwent a cholecystectomy at the time of aortic reconstruction and experienced no morbidity related to the cholecystectomy. Seventeen patients with cholelithiasis did not undergo cholecystectomy. All were asymptomatic. Nine of these individuals developed cholecystitis or symptoms related to their gallstones following aortic reconstruction. A subsequent cholecystectomy was performed in all nine patients. The interval between aortic reconstruction and cholecystectomy was from 2 weeks to 108 months. The remaining eight patients with cholelithiasis have been followed up for 17 to 50 months. Six of these patients remain asymptomatic. The two patients followed up for the longest period (42 and 50 months, respectively) have become symptomatic. If there are no mitigating circumstances, cholecystectomy is advised for patients undergoing aortic reconstruction with associated cholelithiasis.     

Subtotal cholecystectomy versus total cholecystectomy in complicated cholecystitis

Complicated cholecystitis can make dissections around the triangle of Calot difficult with a higher risk of duct and arterial injury. We reviewed a series of patients with cholecystitis receiving either partial or subtotal cholecystectomies and compared it with total cholecystectomies with respect to complications. A retrospective chart review was performed on all subtotal cholecystectomies performed for cholecystitis at University Medical Center of El Paso from June 2004 to December 2010. A similar number of patients who had total cholecystectomies for cholecystitis were selected as a comparison group from that same time period. A total of 116 patients who had subtotal and total cholecystectomies were reviewed (58 patients in each group). There were seven postoperative complications noted in the subtotal cholecystecomy (SC) group versus 14 for the total cholecystectomy (TC) group. Three patients in the SC group had cystic duct leaks, all successfully treated by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with biliary stenting. There were two patients who had common bile duct injuries in the TC group and none in the SC group. Two patients had duodenal injuries in the TC group. Subtotal cholecystectomy is a viable alternative to total cholecystectomy in cases of complicated cholecystitis.     

Effects of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in normokinetic biliary dyskinesia

This is the largest single center retrospective study to date looking at response to laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acalculous biliary disease. A chart review was completed on 1116 patients from 2009 to 2014 who had admitting diagnoses related to acalculous cholecystitis and biliary colic. Four hundred and seventy four patients were available for long term follow up (6 months or longer). Multiple factors were studied as related to cholescintigraphy scans with cholecystokinin administration (HIDA with CCK). Hyperkinetic, normokinetic and hypokinetic ejection fractions (EF), as well as reproduction of symptoms with administration of CCK were catagorized. ROME III criteria (Table 1) were used to describe cholecystitis/biliary colic symptoms. (1).It was found that rates of resolution of symptoms after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in normokinetic and hypokinetic were similar. It was also found that reproduction of symptoms after administration of CCK was a better predictor of favorable response to surgery than calculated ejection fraction.     

An alternative approach to acute cholecystitis

Background: The mainstay of therapy for acute cholecystitis is cholecystectomy, which has a mortality of 5–30% in high-risk patients such as the elderly or critically ill. An alternative treatment option in patients suffering from acute cholecystitis with contraindications to emergency surgery is percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) followed by interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Percutaneous cholecystostomy yields 10–12% mortality in high-risk patients and is therefore a safe temporizing measure, allowing delayed, elective cholecystectomy when the patient is in better condition for surgery. Methods: Hospital charts and radiology films were reviewed for all 50 patients who underwent PC for acute cholecystitis between January 1990 and September 1993. Most patients were high risk for emergency cholecystectomy by virtue of their critical illness or underlying medical condition. Twenty-five patients went on to have interval cholecystectomies. We recorded whether they underwent laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy, as elective or emergency procedures, and we recorded direct complications, mortality, and postoperative length of hospital stay. Results: Relief of symptoms occurred within 48 h of PC in 90% of patients, and two patients had complications of PC. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 13 patients and competed in nine. Four patients (31%) required conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomies due to extensive adhesions (3) or bleeding (1). Three patients had direct complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. There was no mortality or major bile duct injury. Conclusion: Percutaneous cholecystostomy followed by interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe, minimally invasive approach which can be employed safely in the critically ill patient when contraindications to emergency surgery exist.     

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A recommendable indication in acute cholecystitis?

While laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the procedure of choice for the elective treatment of symptomatic cholecystolithiasis the question whether patients with acute cholecystitis should be operated laparoscopically or conventionally is still debated. Nevertheless, more and more surgeons tend to use the laparoscopic approach even in patients with acute cholecystitis. Of 1006 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed at our hospital 42 were done for acute cholecystitis. Conversion to an open procedure was necessary in only one patient because of severe inflammatory changes. The overall mortality was zero. The average age was 45.9 years for all patients and 50.4 years for those with acute cholecystitis. The average operating time in patients with acute cholecystitis was 81 minutes compared to 62 minutes in patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The complication rate and the average hospitalization time did not differ significantly between the two groups. Our own data as well as the data retrieved from the literature seem to indicate that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is superior to the open procedure in the treatment of acute cholecystitis. Prerequisite is that the operation is performed less than 72 hours after the onset of the symptoms by an experienced operating team and the readiness to convert to open procedure if necessary. Under those circumstances laparoscopic cholecystectomy seems to be the treatment of choice for acute cholecystitis.     

How early is early laparoscopic treatment of acute cholecystitis?

BACKGROUND: Despite the well-accepted success of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elective treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis, the efficacy and timing of this technique has been subject to some debate in the setting of acute cholecystitis. This study was undertaken to evaluate our institution's experience with early cholecystectomy as a safe, effective treatment of acute cholecystitis. METHODS: Charts of all patients who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the length of time from onset of symptoms to surgical intervention: less than 48 hours in the early group (n = 14) and more than 48 hours in the late group (n = 31). RESULTS: Comparing the two groups, the conversion rate to an open procedure was significantly less (0 versus 29%, P <0.04) in the early treated patients. Furthermore, the operative time (73 versus 96 minutes, P <0.004), postoperative hospitalization (1.2 versus 3.9 days, P <0.001), and total hospital stay (2.1 versus 5.4 days, P <0.004) were significantly reduced in patients undergoing early laparoscopic cholecystectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed by experienced surgeons is a safe, effective technique for treatment of acute cholecystitis. Patients treated within 48 hours of onset of symptoms experience a lower conversion rate to an open procedure, shorter operative time and reduced hospitalization.     

Endoscopic management of common bile duct stones leaving the gallbladder in situ. A cohort study with long-term follow-up

BACKGROUND: Obstructive jaundice caused by stones is a common disorder, mostly managed by endoscopic sphincterotomy followed by cholecystectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not clearance of the common bile duct alone is sufficient as treatment for patients with choledocholithiasis. METHODS: A cohort with 447 patients with symptomatic cholecystocholedocholithiasis, undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) and if necessary sphincterotomy (ES). In 164 patients common bile duct stones were proven and treated endoscopically, without performing a subsequent cholecystectomy. All 164 patients were free of symptoms after the endoscopic intervention. This group of patients was compared with 78 patients who underwent cholecystectomy after endoscopic treatment of common bile duct stones. Patients were followed for 1-13 years after ERC and sphincterotomy results and complications were registered. RESULTS: The ages of the 164 patients in the in situ group were significantly higher than in the cholecystectomy group and the ASA classification (American Society of Anesthesiologists) was significantly higher in the in situ patients. Mean follow-up was 70.9 months. Of the in situ patients 27 (16%) returned with biliary symptoms; 12 with common bile duct stones, three with cholangitis, and one with stenosis of Vater's papilla. Eight patients returned with cholecystitis and 3 with symptomatic cholecystolithiasis. Thirteen patients underwent cholecystectomy and 11 were managed (also) endoscopically. Minor complications were 2 wound infections and 1 bleeding after cholecystectomy. Two patients (1%) died of abdominal sepsis due to cholecystitis. Of the patients who underwent cholecystectomy, 6 (7.6%) returned during follow-up. Three patients had common bile duct stones, 2 had cholangitis and 1 patient presented with papillostenosis. Three patients needed surgical common bile duct exploration and the other 3 were treated endoscopically. After reintervention, cardiopulmonary complications were observed in 1 patient. There was no related death. CONCLUSION: When common bile duct stones are treated successfully by endoscopic sphincterotomy and patients are free of symptoms, there is no need for routine prophylactic cholecystectomy.     

Delay from Symptom Onset Increases the Conversion Rate In Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Acute Cholecystitis

Background Randomized trials suggest that laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be performed on first admission for acute cholecystitis. However, this is not widely practiced, possibly because of a perceived high conversion rate. We hypothesized that delay from onset of symptoms may increase the conversion rate. Methods We performed a retrospective case note review of patients undergoing emergency cholecystectomy in a single institution between January 2002 and December 2005. We analyzed whether delay from onset of symptoms was related to the conversion rate in patients with a histopathological diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Results Of patients who underwent emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our institution, 32.4% (197/608) had acute cholecystitis on histopathology. The conversion rate of those with acute cholecystitis was considerably higher (24.4%) than for those with other pathologies (6.3%). For patients with acute cholecystitis, the conversion rates increased with duration of symptoms: 9.5%, 16.1%, 38.9%, and 38.6% for delays of 0–2 days, 3–4 days, 5–6 days, and > 6 days from symptom onset, respectively (chi-square for trend = 14.27, DF = 1, p = 0.00016). Most conversions were due to the presence of acute inflammatory adhesions. Conclusions Early intervention for acute cholecystitis (preferably within 2 days of onset of symptoms) is most likely to result in successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy; increasing delay is associated with conversion to open surgery. The abstract was presented at the British Journal of Surgery Prize Session of the 7th World Congress of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, 10th Annual Meeting of the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland in Edinburgh, UK, September 2006.     

Symptomatic gallstones in patients with spinal cord injury

Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) have an increased prevalence of cholelithiasis. The goal of this study was to clarify the presentation and management of symptomatic gallstone disease in patients with SCI. We performed a retrospective study of presentation of gallstone complications in patients with SCI who underwent cholecystectomy for complications of gallstone disease. The West Roxbury Veterans Administration Medical Center SCI registry (605 patients) was searched for patients who had undergone cholecystectomy more than 1 year after SCI (35 patients). Gallbladder disease profiles for the 35 patients undergoing cholecystectomy for complications of gallstone disease were prepared, including demographics, clinical presentation, diagnostic studies, operative and pathologic findings, and postoperative complications. All patients were white. Thirty-four were male and the mean age was 50 years (range 35 to 65 years). The majority of patients (66%) complained of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, even those patients with SCI at high (i.e., cervical) levels. Of the 35 patients in our study group, 22 (63 %) had biliary colic and chronic cholecystitis, nine (26%) had acute cholecystitis (gangrenous cholecystitis in two), two (6%) had choledocholithiasis symptoms or cholangitis, and two (6%) had gallstone pancreatitis. Major perioperative morbidity occurred in two (6%) of the 35 patients (pulmonary embolus; intraoperative hemorrhage), and there were no deaths. In the great majority of patients with SCI, cholelithiasis presents with chronic pain and not with life-threatening complications. Our findings suggest that presentation is no more acute in patients with SCI than in the general population. Characteristic symptoms and signs are not necessarily obscured by SCI injury, regardless of the level.     

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND: Peptic ulcer disease and gallstones are common causes of upper abdominal pain. The benefits of routine gastrostroscopy before laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been controversial. Some cases of persistent abdominal pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been attributed to peptic ulcer disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the significance of preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We compared a group of patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy before laparoscopic cholecystectomy and a group of patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with no preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Postoperative residual abdominal pain, esophagogastroduodenoscopy findings, hospital stay, and other variables were examined. RESULTS: There were 400 patients in this study: 218 (54.5%) patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy while 182 (45.5%) did not. The mean age was 49.8 years, 311 were female and 89 were male patients. One hundred and twenty seven (31.7%) patients were diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and 273 (68.2%) were nonacute. In the esophagogastroduodenoscopy group, there were normal findings in 98 (45%) patients. Disorders such as hiatus hernia (21%), acute duodenal ulcers (3.6%), esophagitis (3.6%), gastric ulcer (0.4%), and Barrett's esophagus (0.4%) were among the findings. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was avoided in six patients with chronic cholecystitis. Preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy did not reduce the incidence of postoperative residual abdominal pain; in fact, patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy had longer hospital stays (P = 0.02). Unlike chronic cholecystitis, esophagogastroduodenoscopy did not change the course of the planned surgery in acute cholecystitis. CONCLUSION: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy does not have an impact on postoperative residual abdominal pain; however, it can disclose other gastroesophageal disorders with similar symptoms to gallstones and may change the course of the planned surgery in chronic cholecystitis.