Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a patient with previous open cholecystostomy

We report the case of a successful elective interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a patient with a previous tube cholecystostomy that had been performed surgically 8 weeks earlier for an attack of acute calculous cholecystitis. At surgery, the major omentum was adherent to the right lateral abdominal wall, completely covering the liver edge, the gallbladder, and the inserted tube. The gallbladder and the tube within it were dissected free from the abdominal wall and the greater omentum, the cholecystostomy tube was removed, and the operation was completed successfully without any further difficulties.     

序贯式双通道胆囊穿刺造瘘联合胆道镜微创保胆取石

目的:探讨超声引导双通道胆囊穿刺造瘘联合胆道镜保胆取石术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4月接受双通道胆囊穿刺造瘘联合胆道镜保胆取石术治疗的30例高龄高危急性结石性胆囊炎患者的临床资料.结果:30例患者均穿刺置管成功,1例发生出血,向腔内注入立止血,夹闭弓引流管后出血停止,带管时间为14d至2个月,平均时间为30 d.4～8周后,28例患者成功行胆道镜取石,1例患者因窦道未形成行开腹胆囊切除术,1例患者因16F猪尾型外导管滑脱行腹腔镜胆囊切除术.28例患者获随访3～19个月,B超检查1例(3.6％)复发.结论:超声引导双通道胆囊穿刺造瘘联合胆道镜保胆取石是治疗高龄高危胆囊结石患者可靠、有效的方法.     

Reassessment of simple cholecystostomy.

Cholecystostomy was performed on 22 patients with acute cholecystitis after partial (13) or complete (9) removal of gallbladder stones. One patient had complementary common-duct drainage. Early mortality occurred in two patients. Three patients with associated cholangitis but intraoperative reflux of cysticduct bile were all treated by cholecystostomy alone and survived. For the poor-risk patient with cholecystitis, cholecystostomy is effective. When there is associated cholangitis and documented cystic-duct patency, cholecystostomy is also sufficient. When accompanying cholangitis is associated with cystic-duct occlusion, choledochotomy and T tube drainage should be added.     

Laparoscopic tube cholecystostomy: still useful in the management of complicated acute cholecystitis

The preferred treatment for acute cholecystitis is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Conversion to open operation may be necessary in cases where the anatomy is unclear or complications are encountered. Laparoscopic tube cholecystostomy remains an alternative to open surgery in cases where the gallbladder is judged too inflamed to allow for laparoscopic removal and in cases where the patient is too sick to tolerate a more extensive procedure. It also provides access for diagnostic cholangiography. We report three patients with acute cholecystitis who underwent laparoscopic cholecystostomy and interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy without complications. Laparoscopic tube cholecystostomy is safe and remains a useful option in select patients with complicated acute cholecystitis.     

Laparoscopic reintervention for residual gallstone disease

Laparoscopic reintervention is being increasingly performed in patients who have previously undergone surgery for gallstone disease. A few patients with gallbladder remnants or a cystic duct stump with residual stones have recurrent symptoms of biliary disease. Patients with bile duct injuries were excluded from the study. We reviewed our experience in treating such patients over a 4-year period, January 1998 through December 2001. Five patients underwent laparoscopic reintervention after previous surgery for gallstone disease performed elsewhere during the period mentioned above. Of these 5 patients, 3 had impacted stones in gallbladder remnants (laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 2; open cholecystectomy, 1) and 2 had recurrent symptoms after cholecystolithotomy and tube cholecystostomy (conventional surgery) performed elsewhere. Laparoscopic excision of the gall bladder remnants was done in 3 patients and a formal laparoscopic cholecystectomy was done in 2 patients who had previously undergone cholecystolithotomy and tube cholecystostomy. The mean operating time was 42 minutes. No drainage was required postoperatively. All patients were symptom-free during a mean follow-up of 2.3 years (range, 7 months to 4 years). Reintervention may be required for patients with residual gallstones whose symptoms recur after gallbladder surgery such as cholecystectomy, subtotal cholecystectomy, and tube cholecystostomy. It is safe and feasible to remove the gallbladder or gallbladder remnants in such patients laparoscopically.     

Tube Cholecystostomy Before Cholecystectomy for the Treatment of Acute Cholecystitis

Methods:This study was a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent tube cholecystostomy from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2012.Results:During the study period, 82 patients underwent 125 cholecystostomy tube placements. Four patients (5%) died during the year after tube placement. The mean hospital length of stay for survivors was 8.8 days (range, 1–59 days). Twenty-eight patients (34%) required at least 1 additional percutaneous procedure (range, 1–6) for gallbladder drainage. Twenty-nine patients (34%) ultimately underwent cholecystectomy. Surgery was performed a mean of 7 weeks after cholecystostomy tube placement. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 25 operative patients but required conversion to an open approach in 8 cases (32%). In another 4 cases, planned open cholecystectomy was performed. Major postoperative complications were limited to 2 patients with postoperative common bile duct obstruction requiring endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, 1 patient requiring a return to the operating room for hemoperitoneum, and 2 patients with bile leak from the cystic duct stump.Conclusions:In high-risk patients receiving cholecystostomy tubes for acute cholecystitis, only about one third will undergo surgical cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed in this circumstance has a higher rate of conversion to open surgery and higher hepatobiliary morbidity rate.     

Laparoscopic tube cholecystostomy

Tube cholecystostomy was offered to 100 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy as an alternative to open surgery should the gallbladder be found too severely inflamed for safe removal. At the time of surgery, three of the 100 patients had gallbladders judged too severely inflamed for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. They therefore underwent laparoscopic placement of a cholecystostomy tube. The patients received 48 h of antibiotics in the hospital and then underwent tube drainage for 4-6 weeks as outpatients. They returned to the hospital for interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The three patients underwent successful interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy. There were no complications. Of the 100 patients in the study, conversion to open cholecystectomy was not necessary for any of the patients. Tube cholecystostomy is a safe and effective procedure. It should reduce the number of patients who require open surgery for removal of the gallbladder.     

Gallbladder sepsis after stent insertion for bile duct obstruction: management by percutaneous cholecystostomy.

Of 364 patients undergoing insertion of a biliary endoprosthesis in 1989, six (1.6 per cent) developed gallbladder sepsis. Three patients had cholangiocarcinoma, two had carcinoma of the pancreas and one had a benign biliary stricture. Two of the five patients with malignancy had gallbladder stones, and the patient with a benign stricture developed stones after 3 years of stenting. Three patients developed gallbladder sepsis early after endoprosthesis insertion (less than 6 days), while in the other three it occurred late (greater than 6 months). All six patients failed to respond to antibiotics and were successfully managed by percutaneous cholecystostomy; the patient with a benign biliary stricture also had cholecystolithotomy. The gallbladder drainage tubes were removed or became dislodged at intervals varying from 2 weeks to 6 months without complications. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is the treatment of choice for gallbladder sepsis unresponsive to antibiotics in patients with a biliary endoprosthesis in situ.     

Percutaneous cholecystostomy for acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients

Seventeen high-risk critically ill patients with suspected cholecystitis underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy between 1981 and 1986 using Hawkins' needle guide system for gallbladder intubation. Acute cholecystitis was documented in 15 patients, including 1 with common bile duct obstruction. Two other patients had common bile duct obstruction secondary to metastatic cancer (one patient) and chronic pancreatic fibrosis (one patient). There was rapid resolution of the signs and symptoms of cholecystitis, sepsis, or both in 16 of the 17 patients. One critically ill patient with positive findings on blood culture and an organism resistant to triple antibiotic therapy died soon after percutaneous cholecystostomy. In the entire group of 17 patients, there was no evidence of bile leaks or other catheter complications. Six patients subsequently underwent successful cholecystectomy and two underwent common bile duct exploration without complications. One patient underwent cholecystojejunostomy, and in three patients, the catheter was removed with no sequelae of cholecystitis. Two remaining patients had the catheter in place and were awaiting operation at last follow-up. Three of four patients who died within 30 days of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic cholecystostomy died either from the terminal malignant condition (two patients) or from arrhythmia (one patient with cirrhosis). This review suggests that percutaneous cholecystostomy is a safe and effective procedure for resolving acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients. In addition, the technique of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic cholecystostomy appears well suited for percutaneous dissolution of stones, sclerosis of the gallbladder, or both in selected high-risk critically ill patients.     

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.     

Selective use of tube cholecystostomy with interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis

HYPOTHESIS: Tube cholecystostomy followed by interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a sale and efficacious treatment option in critically ill patients with acute cholecystitis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study within a 4 1/2%-year period. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Of 324 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 65 (20%) had acute cholecystitis; 15 of these 65 patients (mean age, 75 years) underwent tube cholecystostomy. INTERVENTION: Thirteen patients at high risk for general anesthesia because of underlying medical conditions underwent percutaneous tube cholecystostomy with local anesthesia. Laparoscopic tube cholecystostomy was performed on 2 patients during attempted laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of severe inflammation. Interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted after an average of 12 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Technical details and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Prompt clinical response was observed in 13 (87%) of the patients after tube cholecystostomy. Twelve patients (80%) underwent interval cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 11 patients and was successful in 10 (91%), with 1 conversion to open cholecystectomy. One patient had interval open cholecystectomy during definitive operation for esophageal cancer and another had emergency open cholecystectomy due to tube dislodgment. Two patients (13%) had complications related to tube cholecystostomy and 2 patients died from sepsis before interval operation. One patient died from sepsis after combined esophagectomy and cholecystectomy. Postoperative minor complications developed in 2 patients. At a mean follow-up of 16.7 months (range, 0.5-53 months), all patients were free of biliary symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Tube cholecystostomy allowed for resolution of sepsis and delay of definitive surgery in selected patients. Interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy was safely performed once sepsis and acute infection had resolved in this patient group at high risk for general anesthesia and conversion to open cholecystectomy. Just as catheter drainage of acute infection with interval appendectomy is accepted in patients with periappendiceal abscess, tube cholecystostomy with interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy should have a role in the management of selected patients with acute cholecystitis.     

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy for acute acalculous cholecystitis

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy was performed in six critically ill patients who had acute acalculous cholecystitis. The clinical conditions of all six patients improved dramatically following transhepatic cholecystostomy. No complications of this bedside procedure occurred. Cholangiography via the inserted pigtail catheter was normal in four patients. Their catheters were removed after ten to 21 days. At follow-up examinations at four to 30 months they were free of signs of gallbladder disease. In one patient, ultrasonography showed desquamation of the mucosa in the gallbladder, which led to the decision to perform cholecystectomy two days after cholecystostomy. One patient, suffering from cholangiocarcinoma, died 120 days after cholecystostomy with the catheter in situ. In our experience, ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy is the treatment of choice to overcome a critical period in patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis. When post-drainage cholangiography is normal, cholecystectomy at a later stage is not indicated in the majority of these patients.     

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.     

Percutaneous cholecystostomy and endoscopic cholecystolithotripsy in the management of acute cholecystitis

Background: Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a valuable alternative temporary measure for acute cholecystitis in elderly patients with severe underlying cardiopulmonary disease, but the subsequent management of gallbladder calculi is still controversial. Methods: Eleven patients treated with percutaneous endoscopic cholecystolithotripsy after percutaneous cholecystostomy were evaluated retrospectively. Results: All patients showed clinical improvement after percutaneous cholecystostomy. Tract dilation succeeded in 9 patients. Complete stone clearance was achieved in seven patients over one to four sessions (average, two sessions). Stone extraction could not be completed in two patients because gallbladder access was lost in one patient, and the other refused further procedure. There were three complications, with two biliary fistulas and one major bile leakage leading to emergency cholecystectomy. The duration of the entire procedure ranged from 30 to 126 days (mean, 58 days). During the follow-up (mean 17.2 months), one patient had recurrent cholangitis and the others remained asymptomatic. Conclusions: Percutaneous cholecystolithotripsy after percutaneous cholecystostomy is a safe alternative in the management of high-risk elderly patients with acute cholecystitis. Received: 26 February 1998/Accepted: 17 July 1998     

经皮经肝胆囊穿刺引流术和延期的腹腔镜胆囊切除术治疗老年急性胆囊炎

目的 评价经皮经肝胆囊穿刺引流术（percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage,PTGBD）和延期腹腔镜胆囊切除术（laparoscopic cholecystectomy,LC）治疗老年急性胆囊炎的价值。方法 回顾分析2001年1月～2005年12月30例老年（〉65岁）急性胆囊炎使用PTGBD的临床资料。均为伴有严重内科疾病和（或）保守治疗症状不缓解的患者。结果 29例导管置入成功,1例因胆囊内充满结石置管未成功,行胆汁抽吸术。并发症包括导管脱落2例（1例重新插入,1例症状缓解未再插入）,1例因病情加重,后改行胆囊造瘘＋腹腔冲洗引流术。27例带管出院。25例PTGBD后3周拔管,2例胆囊管梗阻中1例引流管脱落,1例保留至8周后手术。28例结石性胆囊炎接受延期手术：25例LC,2例经窦道行胆道镜胆囊取石,1例伴有胆总管结石因发现有腹膜后肿物（肾上腺肿物）行开腹手术。另4例胆总管结石中,2例在LC同时行胆道镜取石,2例LC后行内镜下十二指肠乳头切开取石术。无死亡,无胆道损伤等严重并发症。结论 对于急性胆囊炎的老年病人,结合使用PTGBD和延期的LC是安全和有效的。     

Percutaneous cholecystostomy with locking trocar: how I do it?

Cholecystectomy and open cholecystostomy are associated with a high mortality rate in critically ill patients. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous cholecystostomy has a high success rate with few complications. The following method of percutaneous cholecystostomy with locking trocar (LT) under direct laparoscopic vision is seen to be an effective, safe, and practical procedure. After the abdomen is prepared from xiphisternum to symphysis pubis, the umbilicus and surrounding skin are infiltrated with 1% combined lignocaine and adrenaline. A 10-mm laparoscopy trocar is inserted via a 10-mm subumbilical incision. After a camera is inserted via the trocar, the abdomen and gallbladder are exposed. The skin of the geometric projection of fundus is infiltrated with the same solution, and a 5-mm LT is introduced via a 5-mm skin incision directed to the fundus of the gallbladder guided by the direct view of a laparoscope. When the LT has penetrated to the gallbladder, the bile and contents of the gallbladder are aspirated immediately to reduce the pressure, and the trocar is locked. The locked trocar is fixed to the abdominal wall under traction until the completion of peritonization to prevent bile leakage. The gallstones can be extracted through the trocar by a laparoscopy forceps. This technique was used for a 75-year-old woman with calculous cholecystitis and cardiopulmonary insufficiency, and her progress at this writing is good.     

胆囊造瘘后内镜下胆囊黏膜电凝消除术

目的探讨胆囊造瘘后经内镜电凝消除胆囊黏膜的可行性。方法20例胆囊造瘘术后病人在硬膜外麻醉或基础加局部麻醉下行电切镜检查和治疗。通过胆囊造瘘窦道插入Storz前列腺电切镜，分别用滚球和滚桶电极电凝消除胆囊黏膜，电凝功率60～70w，滚桶移动速度10～15mm／s，使胆囊内壁呈均匀棕灰色。结果内镜下操作时间25～55min，平均35min。术后1个月胆囊腔完全闭合者12例，3个月完全闭合者5例，另3例未闭合者形成潴留性囊肿。结论用电切镜电极消除胆囊黏膜是胆囊造瘘后胆囊硬化闭塞的可行方法，可避免再次胆囊切除术。     

腹腔镜手术治疗急性化脓性胆囊炎（附156例报告）

目的探讨腹腔镜手术治疗急性化脓性胆囊炎的可行性、安全性。方法对2005年1月～2008年5月156例急性化脓性胆囊炎行腹腔镜手术的临床资料进行回顾性分析。常规四孔法腹腔镜胆囊切除术,对胆囊三角解剖不清者行胆囊造瘘或胆囊大部分切除术。结果156例均行腹腔镜手术,其中139例（89.1%）顺利完成腹腔镜胆囊切除术,6例（3.8%）行胆囊造瘘,11例（7.1%）行胆囊大部分切除术,无一例中转开腹。手术时间35～180min,平均75min。13例直接胆红素升高和（或）胆总管扩张术中胆道造影示9例胆总管结石,腹腔镜下切开取石,T管引流,术后2个月造影后拔管。156例术后随访3～6个月,无黄疸、腹痛、发热等并发症,无胆总管残留结石。结论腹腔镜手术治疗急性化脓性胆囊炎是一种安全、可行的治疗方法。     

Contact dissolution of gallstones]

The techniques and results of contact dissolution of stones in the gallbladder of 27 patients subjected to laparoscopic cholecystostomy for acute cholecystitis were analysed. It was found that the main factors impeding effective dissolution were: the size of the stones over 1.5 cm and admixture of pigment in the concrements. The first Soviet produced litholytic preparation Oktalgin, synthesized by the authors jointly with the Zelinsky IOCh, AMS USSR, was used as the main solvent. The principal possibility of dissolving multiple stones of the gallbladder through laparoscopic cholecystostomy is proved.     

Cholelithiasis in childhood: a follow-up study

Fifteen children with cholelithiasis who were treated at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow between 1973 and 1985 are reviewed. Ten patients had idiopathic gallstones and five had gallstones in association with hereditary spherocytosis. All patients have been followed up for between 4 months and 12 years (mean 4.1 years): ultrasonography has been carried out on 13. Fourteen patients underwent surgery of whom only seven had symptoms from their gallstones. Nine patients had cholecystostomy and removal of gallstones, four patients had cholecystectomy (one had negative exploration of the common bile duct in addition) and one patient with choledocholithiasis underwent choledochotomy with transduodenal sphincterotomy. One patient did not have surgery; she has remained asymptomatic and ultrasound examination confirms that she still has a solitary gallstone in her gallbladder. Clinical review with ultrasonography shows that cholecystostomy with removal of gallstones appears to be an acceptable alternative to cholecystectomy.