The incidence of bacteria in gallbladder bile at acute and elective cholecystectomy

Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultivation was carried out on gallbladder bile collected from all patients operated on with cholecystectomy during a 10-month period. Acute cholecystectomy was performed on 34 patients because of acute cholecystitis. Elective cholecystectomy was performed on 177 patients because of non-acute gallbladder pathology. Bacteria were found in gallbladder bile in 16.4% of patients with non-acute cholecystopathy compared to 58.8% of patients with acute cholecystitis (p less than 0.001). An increased incidence of pathogenic bacteria was observed in the acute compared to the elective cholecystectomy material. The acute inflammatory process, its severity and the age of the patient seemed to be important factors which could be related to the increased occurrence of bacteria in the gallbladder bile. A higher incidence of postoperative morbidity and infectious complications was found in patients with pathogenic bacteria in gallbladder bile than in patients with no growth of bacteria or opportunistic bacteria in gallbladder bile.     

Intravenous cholangiography in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis

We reviewed our experience with intravenous cholangiography in the evaluation of 70 patients with suspected acute cholecystitis. Twenty-one of these patients had visualization of the biliary ducts without opacification of the gallbladder, a roentgenographic finding that was considered diagnostic of acute cholecystitis. Twenty of the 21 patients were noted to have acute cholecystitis during exploratory laparotomy. The remaining patient had a normal gallbladder, but was found to have a liver abscess. Opacification of the gallbladder with evidence of gallstones was found in eight patients; all had acute cholecystitis. Visualization of the gallbladder without gallstones was found in 22 patients, revealing no acute cholecystitis in this group. Many of these patients were admitted to the hospital with a primary diagnosis of acute cholecystitis and were spared an unnecessary surgical exploration. Nineteen patients had nonvisualization of the gallbladder and biliary ducts. This roentgenographic finding may be caused by acute intra-abdominal conditions other than cholecystitis and caution is warranted in its interpretation. This test has been found to be a reliable adjunct in the work-up of patients with suspected acute cholecystitis.     

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute inflammation of the gallbladder.

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the results of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acute inflammation of the gallbladder. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard treatment for symptomatic gallbladder disease. Its role in the surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis has not been defined, although a number of recent reports suggest that there should be few contraindications to an initial laparoscopic approach. METHODS. All patients presenting with symptomatic cholelithiasis from October 1990 until June 1992 were evaluated at laparoscopy with intention of proceeding to a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The gross appearance of the gallbladder was categorized as acute inflammation, chronic inflammation, or no inflammation. Ninety-eight (23.4%) of 418 patients had acute inflammation of the gallbladder: 55 were edematous, 10 were gangrenous, 15 had a mucocele, and 18 had an empyema. RESULTS. The authors assessed outcome in these patients. The frequency of conversion to an open operation was 33.7% for acute inflammation, 21.7% for chronic inflammation (p < 0.05), and 4% for no inflammation (p < 0.001). The conversion rate was highest for empyema (83.3%) and gangrenous cholecystitis (50%), while the conversion rate for edematous cholecystitis was 21.8% and for acute inflammation with a mucocele it was 7%. The median operation time for successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute inflammation was 105 minutes, which was longer than that with no inflammation (90 minutes). However, the incidence of complications was not different from that for chronic or no inflammation. The median postoperative stay for patients with acute gallbladder inflammation was 2 days for successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 7 days for patients converted to an open operation. CONCLUSIONS. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute inflammation of the gallbladder is safe and is associated with a significantly shorter postoperative stay compared to open surgery. A greater number of patients required conversion to open operation compared to those with no obvious inflammation. Conversion to open operation was most frequent for empyema and gangrenous cholecystitis, suggesting that once this diagnosis is made, excessive time should not be spent in laparoscopic trial dissection before converting to an open operation.     

Long-term effects of cholecystostomy on gallbladder function

In eight patients without a history of gallbladder disease, cholecystostomy was performed for acute pancreatitis (four patients) and blunt abdominal trauma (four patients). In one case only, acute cholecystitis developed after discontinuation of the cholecystostomy. Six patients were followed for a mean period of 3.9 years, after which the gallbladder function was evaluated. Cholecystography and ultrasonography demonstrated good visualisation of the gallbladder without signs of gallstones. The contraction of the gallbladder produced by cholecystokinin varied. This could be due to adhesions impairing the motility of the gallbladder. After cholecystostomy in a previously normal gallbladder, its function will become normal in most patients. If no signs of gallbladder disease develop within the first year after cholecystostomy, the risk of late complications is minimal.     

残余胆囊结石与急性胰腺炎8例分析

目的 探讨残余胆囊结石与急性胰腺炎发作的关系及其外科治疗方法.方法 回顾性分析1998年6月-2007年12月期间收治的13例残余胆囊结石患者的临床资料,就其中8例残余胆囊结石与急性胰腺炎作相关分析.13例患者均于2～9年前行过胆囊切除手术,术后首次出现症状的时间为1个月～8年.均行B超、CT、磁共振胰胆管造影(MRCP)检查等诊断为残余胆囊.结果 术后证实其中2例为泥沙样色素结石;6例为胆固醇结石(0.2～0.5 cm,平均3.2 cm);1例合并胰胆管合流异常(anomalous pancreaticobiliar ductal union,APBDU);5例无异常发现;8例(61.5%)合并急性胰腺炎发作史.患者均行残余胆囊切除术,行胆总管囊肿切除和胆肠Roux-en-Y内引流1例,胆总管切开取石T管引流3例.术后随访8例残余胆囊结石,6例无胰腺炎发作,2例仍有胰腺炎发作,术前术后急性胰腺炎发作比较P=0.019,P<0.0 5.5例无结石患者术后全部无胰腺炎发作.结论 合并有结石的残余胆囊患者易发生急性胰腺炎,对患者行残余胆囊切除治疗可减少胰腺炎发作.     

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.     

术中胆囊与胆总管胆汁同步细菌培养对比研究

目的　了解胆石病病人胆道不同部位内胆汁的细菌学特点和药敏情况 ,指导术后抗生素应用。方法　 5 6例胆囊切除胆总管探查术病人同步作胆囊内胆汁和胆总管内胆汁细菌培养和药敏。结果　胆囊和胆总管内胆汁培养按双阳性率排列依次为急性化脓性胆管炎 (1 0 0 % )、胆源性胰腺炎 (5 7.1 % )、急性胆囊炎胆囊结石伴阻塞性黄疸 (5 0 % )、急性胆囊炎 (5 0 % )、慢性胆囊炎胆囊结石伴胆总管扩张 (35 .7% )。其中急性化脓性胆管炎、胆源性胰腺炎、急性胆囊炎胆囊结石伴阻塞性黄疸双阳性病例中各有 1例胆囊和胆总管内胆汁培养菌种不同。结论　胆石病病人不同部位胆汁内菌种大多数相同但存在差异 ,其药敏也有所不同。我们建议胆囊切除胆总管探查术 ,尤其在急性期并伴有黄疸病例中应同步培养胆囊和胆总管内胆汁 ,其对术后抗生素应用有指导作用     

双通道植管联合胆道镜保胆取石治疗高龄结石性胆囊炎

目的：评价B超引导下胆囊穿刺双通道植管联合胆道镜保胆取石治疗高龄高危急性结石性胆囊炎患者的疗效。 方法：回顾性分析2012年1月—2013年12月收治的35例80岁以上急性结石性胆囊炎患者的临床资料。 结果：35例患者均行超声引导下胆囊穿刺双通道植管胆囊冲洗、减压、持续引流,6~8周后,行胆道镜经窦道保胆取石。所有患者超声引导穿刺植管均一次性成功,1例发生穿刺后出血,经对症处理止血成功;1例因植管窦道形成不佳改行胆囊切除术,余34例均成功保胆取石（34/35）;随访4~24个月,结石复发1例（1/34）。 结论：双通道胆囊穿刺植管联合胆道镜保胆取石治疗高龄高危胆囊结石方法简单、疗效可靠,具有推广价值。

     

Acute acalculous cholecystitis

Sixty-three patients, 49 men and 14 women, developed acute cholecystitis without gallbladder stones. Only eight patients had a history suggestive of gallbladder disease. In 17 patients cholecystitis developed in the postoperative period, and cholecystitis occurred in 7 patients who had extensive trauma. The signs and symptoms did not differ markedly from those found when acute cholecystitis is associated with cholelithiasis. Pain and tenderness in the right upper abdominal quadrant, vomiting, abdominal distention, decreased bowel sounds, jaundice and fever were common. Thirty (47.6 percent) gallbladder specimens had gangrene, and perforation occurred in five instances. Bacteria were cultured from 28 of 43 bile specimens. E. coli was the most common organism.A high incidence of acalculous gallbladders is found when acute cholecystitis occurs in the postoperative period or after trauma and in children. Decreased blood flow to the gallbladder, cystic duct obstruction and concentrated bile are necessary to produce experimental cholecystitis. These factors are probably necessary in humans also. Decreased gallbladder perfusion caused by shock, congestive heart failure and arteriosclerosis probably contributed to the development of acute acalculous cholecystitis in these patients.     

经皮经肝胆囊穿刺引流联合腹腔镜胆囊切除术治疗老年急性梗阻性胆囊炎的体会

目的:探讨B超引导下经皮经肝胆囊穿刺引流(percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage,PTGD)联合二期腹腔镜胆囊切除术(laparoscopic cholecystectomy,LC)治疗老年急性梗阻性胆囊炎的疗效。方法:回顾分析2008年1月至2011年2月为78例老年急性结石性胆囊炎患者行PTGD联合二期LC的临床资料。结果:78例均穿刺置管成功,术后2～3 h腹痛减轻,体温24～48 h降至正常,PTGD管平均留置13.5天,分别于6～48天后行LC。3例中转开腹,无一例因急性梗阻性胆囊炎及相关治疗导致的严重并发症或死亡。结论:PTGD联合二期LC是治疗老年急性梗阻性胆囊炎安全、简便、有效的方法。老年急性梗阻性胆囊炎应尽量避免急诊常规手术,宜先行PTGD,缓解炎症,以免发生胆囊穿孔,待二期择期行LC。     

急性胆囊炎的腹腔镜手术治疗体会(附212例报告)

目的总结急性胆囊炎行腹腔镜胆囊切除术(laparoscopic cholecystectomy,LC)的经验。方法 2004年1月~2009年1月,对212例急性胆囊炎行LC。术中行胆囊减压,将胆囊颈部嵌顿的结石反向推至胆囊内,恢复胆囊三角的解剖关系,紧贴胆囊颈分离解剖胆囊管和胆囊动脉;对增粗的胆囊管用7号丝线结扎后再加钛夹或可吸收夹;胆囊局部病变重,胆囊三角解剖不清者,行胆囊大部切除,残余胆囊黏膜电凝破坏,缝合胆囊残端;对短胆囊管,在明确胆囊管、肝总管和胆总管的关系后用1枚钛夹夹闭胆囊管,离断时留部分胆囊颈组织以防钛夹脱落。212例术后均放置腹腔引流管。结果 201例完成LC,11例中转开腹,其中Mirizzi综合征Ⅰ型2例,胆囊与胃、十二指肠、横结肠紧密粘连2例,7例为胆囊三角粘连严重,解剖不清。4例术后胆漏,经保守治疗痊愈。186例随访1~12个月,平均4.6月,无胆总管残余结石等并发症。结论 LC治疗急性胆囊炎是安全可行的,严格病例选择,酌情处理胆囊三角、胆囊管和分离胆囊,常规放置引流管,适时中转开腹是手术成功的关键。     

Endoscopic and sparing surgical interventions in the treatment of patients with acute cholecystitis and high surgical risk]

Laparoscopic gallbladder drainage was performed as an alternative intervention to an emergency operation in 97 patients with acute cholecystitis whose ages ranged from 60 to 89 years. One patient died from thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery. After acute inflammation was arrested, 37 patients underwent cholecystectomy. The risk of a radical operation was ascertained to be very high in 58 cases. In 19 of these cases endoscopic cleansing of the cystic cavity was performed through cholecystostomy formed during laparoscopic drainage of the gallbladder. In 39 cases the therapeutic process was completed by a sparing operation--sanative cholecystostomy which was carried out under local anesthesia. There were no fatal outcomes in these groups. Endoscopic papillosphincterotomy was conducted in 17 patients, with stones in the gallbladder and choledocholithiasis, after which the stones were removed. The performance of endoscopic and surgical interventions which cause minimal injury provides for adequate sanative treatment of the gallbladder in cases in which cholecystectomy is an extremely high risk.     

Long-term follow-up of patients with gallbladder in situ after endoscopic sphincterotomy for choledocholithiasis.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) was performed on 148 patients with common bile duct stones and intact gallbladder. The duct was cleared in 130 cases (88%). Immediate complications occurred in 23 patients (15.5%), six of whom died. In 118 of the 139 patients discharged from the hospital, the bile ducts were cleared and the gallbladder in situ. The median observation time in these 118 cases was 42 (1-97) months, during which 13 (11%) were cholecystectomized because of symptoms or acute complications due to remaining gallbladder stones, and 49 (42%) died 2-87 (median 24) months after EST. The probability (life-table) of remaining free from cholecystectomy-requiring symptoms or complications was 0.87 after 42 months. There was no association between nonfilling of the gallbladder at ERC and subsequent problems with gallbladder stones. EST for choledocholithiasis with retained gallbladder is justified for elderly and frail patients. Indefinite postponement of cholecystectomy may be warrantable, restricting surgery to patients with symptoms from gallbladder stones. This most frequently means within 2 years after EST.     

保留胆囊动脉主干的腹腔镜胆囊切除术治疗急性胆囊炎的临床应用

目的:探讨保留胆囊动脉主干的腹腔镜胆囊切除术(LC)治疗急性胆囊炎的应用价值。方法:2018年5月至2020年5月共收治112例急性胆囊炎患者,随机分为观察组(n=58,行保留胆囊动脉主干的LC)与对照组(n=54,行常规夹闭胆囊动脉主干的LC),对比两组手术时间、术中出血量、胆漏发生率、住院时间、住院费用等相关指标。结果:两组均顺利完成手术。两组患者年龄、性别、住院时间、住院费用差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),观察组手术时间、术中出血量少于对照组(P<0.05)。两组均未发生胆漏。结论:急性胆囊炎行保留胆囊动脉主干的LC可有效减少术中出血、缩短手术时间,值得临床推广应用。     

Role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the early management of acute gallbladder disease

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the role of laparoscopic surgery in the early management of acute gallbladder disease in a single large UK teaching hospital. METHODS: Details of all emergency admissions for acute gallbladder disease from January 2000 to December 2001 were identified and additional information from the hospital records was reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighty-five patients with gallstone disease (243 acute biliary pain, 142 acute cholecystitis) and 15 with acalculous disease were identified. The conversion rate was higher during early laparoscopic surgery for acute calculous cholecystitis than in operations for acute biliary pain (19 versus 4 per cent; P = 0.002). In patients with acute calculous cholecystitis the conversion rate was significantly lower in operations within 48 h of admission (one of 26) than when surgery was delayed beyond 48 h (14 of 52) or subsequently carried out electively (seven of 21) (P = 0.014). Elective surgery for previous acute cholecystitis was associated with a higher conversion rate (seven of 21 patients) than elective surgery for biliary pain (three of 65) (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute calculous cholecystitis should be performed, where possible, within the first 48 h of admission.     

Diagnostic ultrasonography in acute cholecystitis.

In a 12-month period 100 patients with clinical evidence of acute disease of the gallbladder were studied in hospital by grey-scale ultrasonography. During the same hospital admission it was possible to correlate results of ultrasonography with operative findings in 66 patients. In 52 patients the ultrasonographic diagnosis of gallstones was proved to be correct. There were no false-positive results. In seven patients the ultrasonographic report of a normal gallbladder without stones was also confirmed. In two patients, the report of a normal gallbladder without stones was erroneous. In two more patients the scan was indeterminate and stones were found at operation. In the remaining three patients echogenic material was reported and at operation minute stones and "sludge" were found. No complications resulted from the ultrasonography. The study showed that grey-scale ultrasonography is a reliable, rapid and safe technique for detecting gallstones in patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.     

ISCHAEMIC CHOLECYSTITIS AND INFARCTION OF THE GALLBLADDER

The clinicopathological features of forty three patients with gallbladder disease are presented where ischaemia appeared to be the primary aetiological factor. Histopathological changes of severe ischaemia (ischaemic cholecystitis) were present in 16 patients and of infarction of the gallbladder in the remaining 27 patients. All patients with ischaemic cholecystitis and 19 of the patients with infarction of the gallbladder had a thick walled gallbladder due to a serosal reaction, and these 35 gallbladders all contained calculi. The remaining eight patients with infarction of the gallbladder had a thin walled gallbladder without serosal reaction. Only two of these patients had gallbladders that contained calculi. The pathogenesis of thick walled ischaemic cholecystitis or infarction appeared to be related to intramural vascular Insufficiency which accompanies calculus disease of the gallbladder. Thin walled infarction of the gallbladder appeared to develop as a result of extramural arterial insufficiency due to arterial disease, thrombosis or trauma. The clinical course of thick walled ischaemic gallbladder disease was not significantly different from severe acute cholecystitis with calculi. However, 75% of the patients with thin walled infarcted gallbladders were severely ill from their associated illness or trauma, and nearly all died.     

The role of prostanoids in the production of acute acalculous cholecystitis by platelet-activating factor.

Gallbladder tissue from patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis contains increased amounts of prostanoids when compared to normal gallbladder tissue. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent stimulus of eicosanoid formation. It has been implicated as a mediator of acute inflammatory processes and systemic responses to shock. In this study the role of PAF in acute acalculous cholecystitis was evaluated. Anesthetized cats underwent gallbladder perfusion with a physiologic buffer solution containing [14C]polyethylene glycol as a nonabsorbable tracer to quantitate mucosal water absorption. Platelet-activating factor was infused into the hepatic artery for 2 hours. Control experiments were performed when vehicle alone was infused. Experiments also were performed when indomethacin was administered intravenously and when indomethacin and PAF were administered. Gallbladder mucosal absorption/secretion and perfusate and tissue prostaglandin E (PGE) and 6 keto prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto PGF1 alpha) levels were evaluated. Gallbladder inflammation was evaluated by beta-glucuronidase and myeloperoxidase tissue concentrations and by a histologic scoring system. Platelet-activating factor eliminated gallbladder absorption and produced net fluid secretion associated with dose-related increases in perfusate PGE concentrations and gallbladder tissue PGE and 6 keto PGF1 alpha levels when compared to control values. Platelet-activating factor produced significant inflammation in the gallbladder with increases in the histologic score of inflammation and tissue lysosomal enzyme activities. Indomethacin significantly decreased the fluid secretion, prostanoid levels, and inflammation produced by PAF. The results suggest that PAF may induce acute gallbladder inflammation associated with systemic stress through a prostanoid-mediated mechanism.     

Gallbladder cancer presenting with acute cholecystitis: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: The role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in acute cholecystitis remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence, clinicopathological characteristics, and outcome of patients with gallbladder cancer presenting with acute cholecystitis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with gallbladder cancer who presented with acute cholecystitis and were treated at the public hospitals in Hong Kong between 1998 and 2002. RESULTS: Among 2,700 patients with acute cholecystitis managed with cholecystectomy (1,347 open and 1,353 LC), 63 patients (2.3%) were found to have gallbladder cancer. There were 44 women and 19 men with a mean age of 74.7 (+/-12.8) years. Adenocarcinoma (90.5%) was the most common cancer. The overall median survival was 5 months (95% CI = 2.6-7.4). The 5-year survival rate was 20.8%. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 11 patients and was completed successfully in six of them. There was no difference between the LC and open groups in the complication rate, hospital mortality rate, or survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: In the ethnic Chinese population of Hong Kong, the incidence of gallbladder cancer presenting with acute cholecystitis is higher than the same finding in patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. Long-term survival is possible because such patients may be diagnosed at an early stage of the disease.     

Delayed laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis with severe fibrotic adhesions

Background  Conversion rate to open surgery is higher for patients with acute cholecystitis than in those without acute cholecystitis. We attempted to develop a laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy to decrease this conversion rate. Methods  From 2000 to 2005, laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis was performed in 60 patients (22 women, 38 men). Patients were divided into two groups: group A (2000 to 2002, n = 22) and group B (2003 to 2005, n = 38). When significant difficulty was encountered dissecting the gallbladder from its bed, we incised the gallbladder wall leaving the posterior wall and cauterizing the remnant mucosa (subtotal cholecystectomy, SC-1). When dissection of the gall bladder neck and triangle of Calot was difficult, the neck of the gallbladder was sutured despite clipping (SC-2). Results  Mean duration from onset of symptoms to operation was 55.3 ± 52.0 days. SC-1 was performed in 8 patients in group A and 18 patients in group B. SC-2 was performed in three patients in Group B. Conversion rate was 18.1% (4/22) in group A and 0% (0/38) in group B, compared to 0.4% (1/221) for patients without acute cholecystitis. No complications were associated with ablated gallbladder mucosa. Conclusion  Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy offers safe and effective treatment for acute cholecystitis. The conversion rate in group B is decreased by avoiding hazardous dissection of the cystic duct.