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PubMedDate not supplied

Gallbladder carcinoma and chronic cholecystitis: differentiation with two-phase spiral CT.

The objective of the present study was to determine whether an analysis of two-phase spiral computed tomographic (CT) features provides a sound basis for the differential diagnosis between gallbladder carcinoma and chronic cholecystitis. Eighty-two patients, 35 with gallbladder carcinoma and 47 with chronic cholecystitis, underwent two-phase spiral CT. We reviewed the two-phase spiral CT features of thickness and enhancement pattern of the gallbladder wall seen during the arterial and venous phases. Mean wall thicknesses were 12.6 mm in the gallbladder carcinoma group and 6.9 mm in the chronic cholecystitis group. The common enhancement patterns seen in gallbladder carcinoma were (a) a highly enhanced thick inner wall layer during the arterial phase that showed isoattenuation with the adjacent hepatic parenchyma during the venous phase (16 of 35, 45.7%) and (b) a highly enhanced thick inner wall layer during both phases (eight of 35, 22.9%). The most common enhancement pattern of chronic cholecystitis was isoattenuation of the thin inner wall layer during both phases (42 of 47, 89.4%). In conclusion, awareness of the wall thickening and enhancement patterns in gallbladder carcinoma and chronic cholecystitis on two-phase spiral CT appears to be valuable in differentiating these two different disease entities.

Carcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Early versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis is not yet clearly established. The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis and to compare the results with delayed cholecystectomy. METHODS: Between January 2001 and November 2002, 40 patients with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis were assigned randomly to early laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 24 h of admission (early group, n = 20) or to initial conservative treatment followed by delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 6 to 12 weeks later (delayed group, n = 20). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the conversion rates (early, 25% vs delayed, 25%), operating times (early, 104 min vs delayed, 93 min), postoperative analgesia requirements (early, 5.3 days vs delayed, 4.8 days), or postoperative complications (early, 15% vs delayed, 20%). However, the early group had significantly more blood loss (228 vs 114 ml) and shorter hospital stay (4.1 vs 10.1 days). CONCLUSIONS: Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis is safe and feasible, offering the additional benefit of a shorter hospital stay. It should be offered to patients with acute cholecystitis, provided the surgery is performed within 72 to 96 h of the onset of symptoms.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2005

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.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2000

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: can the need for conversion and the probability of complications be predicted? A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in acute cholecystitis is associated with a relatively high rate of conversion to an open procedure as well as a high rate of complications. The aim of this study was to analyze prospectively whether the need to convert and the probability of complications is predictable. METHODS: A total of 215 patients undergoing LC for acute cholecystitis were studied prospectively by analyzing the data accumulated in the process of investigation and treatment. Factors associated with conversion and complications were assessed to determine their predictive power. RESULTS: Conversion was indicated in 44 patients (20.5%), and complications occurred in 36 patients (17%). Male gender and age >60 years were associated with conversion, but these factors had no sensitivity and no positive predictive value. The same factors, together with a disease duration of >96 h, a nonpalpable gallbladder, a white blood count (WBC) of >18,000/cc(3), and advanced cholecystitis, predicted conversion with a sensitivity of 74%, a specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of approximately 40%, and a negative predictive value of 96%. However, these data became available only when LC was underway. Male gender and a temperature of >38 degrees C were associated with complications, but these factors had no sensitivity and no positive predictive value. Progression along the stages of admission and therapy did not add predictive factors or improve the predictive characteristics. Male gender, abdominal scar, bilirubin >1 mg%, advanced cholecystitis, and conversion to open cholecystectomy were associated with infectious complications. Their sensitivity and positive predictive value remained 0 despite progression along the stages of admission and therapy. CONCLUSION: Although certain preoperative factors are associated with the need to convert a LC for acute cholecystitis, they have limited predictive power. Factors with higher predictive power are obtained only during LC. The need to convert can only be established during an attempt at LC. Preoperative and operative factors associated with total and infectious complications have no predictive power.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Laparoscopic management and clinical outcome of emphysematous cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: As opposed to acute, chronic, and acalculus cholecystitis, emphysematous cholecystitis (EC) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Only a few studies have specifically reviewed the operative management and clinical outcome of EC. This study documents the operative management and clinical outcome of EC at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. METHODS: Between January 1996 and June 1999, 18 consecutive patients underwent cholecystectomy for emphysematous cholecystitis at our institution. All charts were reviewed retrospectively, and patients undergoing concurrent procedures were excluded. Mean values +/- standard deviation (SD) of the mean were calculated for patient demographics, preoperative white blood cell count (WBC), bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and length of hospital stay. Operative procedure (laparoscopic, converted, or open), preoperative imaging studies, operative time, ICU stay, morbidity, and mortality were reviewed. RESULTS: Patients presented with a mean age of 53.4 years (range, 18-80) and a male/female ratio of 3.5 (14/4). There were no differences between groups in terms of patient demographics. Mean WBC on admission was 14.2 K/mL (range, 5.4-19.7). Mean alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin were 115 U/L (range, 45-428) and 1.4 mg/dl (range, 0.5-3.4), respectively. Thirteen patients (72%) were completed laparoscopically, two patients (11%) were converted to an open procedure, and three patients (17%) had open surgery. Overall mean length of hospital stay was 5 days (range, 1-18). Two patients from the open group ultimately died 1 year later due to progression of preexisting illness. One of these patients had congestive heart failure and chronic renal failure; the other had metastatic malignant melanoma. None of the patients died in the immediate perioperative period. There were five complications (27.8%). Two patients presented with bleeding secondary to heparin and coumadin therapy. One developed sepsis, and another developed leakage from the cystic duct stump, necessitating an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) with stent decompression. The fifth complication, ileus, required readmission 3 days postoperatively, but the patient responded to conservative management. Complications were evenly distributed between the three groups. There were two complications in the laparoscopic group, two in the open group, and one in the conversion group. All other patients were alive at the time of this publication. CONCLUSIONS: Using current techniques, patients with EC can be managed successfully utilizing laparoscopy. Morbidity and mortality appear to be slightly higher than published reports for acute, chronic, and acalculus cholecystitis. Conversion rates are comparable to patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis who undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Based on these data, laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered the first-line treatment for patients with known or suspected EC.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: In the light of laparoscopic cholecystectomy increasingly applied to all forms of cholecystitis, this study aimed at evaluating the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy applied to all cases of acute cholecystitis, and at determining factors associated with the risk of conversion to open cholecystectomy. METHODS: The clinical, biochemical, radiologic, and operative data from 124 consecutive cases of acute cholecystitis were analyzed retrospectively to determine the complications and morbidity after operation. The data were analyzed further by univariate and multivariate analysis to identify factors associated with conversion. RESULTS: No major bile duct injury or mortality occurred. Bile leak from the stump of the cystic duct developed in four patients. These were managed successfully by endoscopic biliary stent placement. The mean duration of hospital stay was 3.8 days in the laparoscopic group and 8.2 days in the open group. Of the 124 patients (18.5%), 23 underwent conversion to open cholecystectomy. Univariate analysis identified the following factors as associated with conversion: common duct dilation greater than 7 mm observed on ultrasound, (p < 0.05), pericholecystic collection seen on ultrasound (p < 0.0001), emphysematous cholecystitis (p < 0.01), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographic evidence of Mirizzi syndrome (p < 0.05), and pericholecystic collection at operation (p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, only pericholecystic collection (p < 0.015) and gallbladder wall thickness greater than 5 mm (p < 0.013) were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis can be applied safely to all comers, offering the advantage of a shortened hospital stay. Pericholecystic collection, as observed on ultrasound, is associated with a high risk of conversion to open cholecystectomy.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2002

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with a liver abscess and metastatic endophthalmitis: report of a case.

There have been no reported cases of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with a liver abscess and metastatic endophthalmitis in the literature. There has been only one other case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis associated with a liver abscess in Japan prior to the present report. A 53-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital complaining of high fever. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a liver abscess. After percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage, he complained of an abnormal sensation in his left eyeball and was diagnosed to have endophthalmitis. After being treated for the endophthalmitis, he was referred to our hospital to have the liver abscess evaluated. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a normal biliary system without any communication with the liver abscess. Two weeks after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography he complained of right hypochondralgia. Ultrasonography revealed the presence of sludge in the swollen gallbladder. Under a diagnosis of cholecystitis with a liver abscess, a cholecystectomy was performed. A histological examination indicated xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis based on the findings of a granulomatous lesion consisting of foamy cells in the gallbladder wall. We herein present the first known case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with a liver abscess and metastatic endophthalmitis, while also making a review of the literature.

Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde↗

PubMed1975

A comparative appraisal of emphysematous cholecystitis.

There is ample evidence from this retrospective comparison to indicate that emphysematous cholecystitis does merit clinical distinction apart from acute cholecystitis. It is an acute infection of the gallbladder caused by a specific group of bacteria that may be aided by some aspect of local ischemia. Cholelithiasis does not seem to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of emphysematous cholecystitis, and this, in association with some dependence upon ischemia, may account for the predominance of this disease in males rather than females. Gangrene is a common feature of the pathologic process, and thus it is not surprising that the diagnosis of emphysematous cholecystitis implies a risk of gallbladder perforation that is five times that expected from ordinary acute cholecystitis. The key to identifying this disease is the plain abdominal roentgenogram which in most instances will make the diagnosis and provide an impetus for early operative intervention.

Cholecystitis↗

PubMed1987

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.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

Transport of fluid and biliary lipids in the canine gallbladder in experimental cholecystitis.

In acute cholecystitis the cystic duct is usually obstructed by a gallstone and the gallbladder is often tensely distended with clear fluid. Because these findings suggest that fluid absorption in the gallbladder may be reversed in cholecystitis, we examined the effect of inflammation on the gallbladder mucosal function in dogs. In 20 dogs cholecystitis was induced by ligating the cystic duct and allowing inflammation to develop from bile stasis and the presence of a chronic indwelling cannula in the gallbladder. Every morning an aliquot of normal hepatic bile was infused into the gallbladder through a cannula in the gallbladder fundus. After either 4 or 24 hr the gallbladder contents were aspirated, the volume was measured, and the concentrations of bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids, and protein were determined. Changes in volume were checked using [14C]PEG as a nonabsorbable tracer. A net absorption of fluid, bile acids, cholesterol, and phospholipids occurred during the first 24 to 48 hr after ligation of the cystic duct. Thereafter, fluid, cholesterol, and protein were secreted into the lumen, but absorption of bile acids continued. The lithogenic index of bile placed in the inflamed gallbladder was always greater when the bile was removed 24 hr later. The rate of fluid secretion into the lumen of the inflamed gallbladder increased after a meal and decreased after indomethacin. These findings demonstrate that inflammation can stimulate the gallbladder mucosa to secrete fluid, a process that may be important in the pathophysiology of acute cholecystitis in man. Since inflammation also resulted in an increased cholesterol saturation of gallbladder bile, cholecystitis per se may contribute to the formation of cholesterol gallstones.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Percutaneous cholecystostomy treatment of acute cholecystitis in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Medical treatment of acute cholecystitis in pregnancy may lead to prolonged management and recurrent hospitalizations, whereas surgical management predisposes the mother and fetus to the inherent risks of surgery and general anesthesia. Although percutaneous cholecystostomy has been proven to be an efficacious treatment in critically ill and general surgery patients who are at high risk for surgery, this technique has not been used routinely as a treatment for acute cholecystitis in pregnancy. CASES: We report two women (at 30 and 32 weeks' gestation, respectively) who presented with acute calculus cholecystitis. The first patient was a 33-year-old female who failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and papillotomy and had multiple return visits for nausea and vomiting. The second patient was a 23-year-old female with three previous admissions for cholecystitis during the pregnancy. These two patients underwent emergency ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy. Percutaneous cholecystostomy provided adequate biliary decompression for the remainder of the pregnancy; the patients delivered healthy infants and underwent successful uncomplicated elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 3 months of delivery. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous cholecystostomy may provide a safe and effective alternative for the palliation of acute cholecystitis in pregnancy until a postpartum cholecystectomy can be performed.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2006

Contrast enhanced sonography of the gallbladder: a tool in the diagnosis of cholecystitis?

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if contrast enhanced sonography (CES) can help to detect gallbladder inflammation and differentiate between acute and chronic cholecystitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients with clinical suspicion of acute cholecystitis were examined with CES before cholecystectomy. Thirty patients with no history of gallbladder disease served as control. CES was performed using 2.5 mL SonoVue. A small mechanical index was chosen (0.1). The enhancement pattern of the gallbladder was ranked in a three-point scale: no enhancement, low enhancement and strong enhancement. 28/33 patients underwent surgery. Sonographic findings were compared to histological results. RESULTS: In 16/20 cases with histological proven acute cholecystitis, the gallbladder wall showed a strong enhancement. Low enhancement was found in four patients with acute and in six patients with chronic cholecystitis. The gallbladder wall of two patients with chronic inflammation and all patients (30/30) of the control group showed no enhancement. CONCLUSION: CES is a feasible tool for detecting gallbladder inflammation. Differentiating between acute and chronic cholecystitis seems to be possible.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2002

Percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy and delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy in critically ill patients with acute calculus cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: The ultimate therapy for acute cholecystitis is cholecystectomy. However, in critically ill elderly patients the mortality of emergency cholecystectomy may reach up to 30%. Open cholecystostomy performed under local anesthesia was considered to be the procedure of choice for treatment of acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients. In recent years, ultrasound- or computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy (PTHC) replaced open cholecystostomy for the treatment of acute cholecystitis in critically ill patients. METHODS: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the results of a 5-year protocol using PTHC followed by delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy for the treatment of acute cholecystitis in critically ill patients. We reviewed the charts of 55 patients who underwent PTHC at the Hadassah University Hospital Mount Scopus during the years 1994 to 1999. RESULTS: The main indications for PTHC among this group of severely sick and high-risk patients was biliary sepsis and septic shock in 23 patients (42%); and severe comorbidities in 32 patients (58%). The median age was 74 (32 to 98) years, 33 were female and 22 male. Successful biliary drainage by PTHC was achieved in 54 of 55 (98%) of the patients. The majority of the patients (31 of 55) were drained transhepaticlly under CT guidance. The rest, (24 of 55) were drained using ultrasound guidance followed by cholecystography for verification. Complications included hepatic bleeding that required surgical intervention in 1 patient and dislodgment of the catheter in 9 patients that was reinserted in 2 patients. Three patients died of multisystem organ failure 12 to 50 days following the procedure. The remaining 52 patients recovered well with a mean hospital stay of 15.5 plus minus 11.4 days. Thirty-one patients were able to undergo delayed surgery: 28 underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy of whom 4 (14%) were converted to open cholecystectomy. This was compared with a 1.9% conversion rate in 1,498 elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed at the same time period (P = 0.012). Another 3 patients underwent planned open cholecystectomy, 1 urgent and 2 combined with other abdominal procedures. There was no surgery associated mortality, severe morbidity, or bile duct injury. CONCLUSIONS: The use of PTHC in critically ill patients with acute cholecystitis is both safe and effective.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

Early minilaparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acute cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: Recently, techniques using fine-caliber instruments (2 or 3 mm in diameter) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, called minilaparoscopic cholecystectomy (MLC), were reported to be superior to conventional LC (CLC, using 5 mm instruments) in postoperative course and cosmetic outcome. However, the use of MLC to date has been largely restricted to uncomplicated situations. Since CLC has been proved to be a safe and efficient technique for acute cholecystitis especially if conducted early, this study tests the feasibility and safety of MLC for acute cholecystitis. METHODS: Sixty-nine consecutive patients with acute cholecystitis were prospectively randomized to minilaparoscopic (n = 38) or conventional laparoscopic (n = 31) cholecystectomy, and the operations were conducted within 2 days of admission whenever possible. Despite different operative techniques, both groups of patients received identical preoperative preparation, evaluation and postoperative care. The two groups were compared for patient characteristics, results of laboratory tests, predictive score for LC difficulties, operative time, operative complications, hospitalization days and need for meperidine injection for wound pain. RESULTS: The conversion rate was 7.9% (3 of 38) for the MLC group and 6.5% (2 of 31) for the CLC group. Nine patients in the MLC group and 7 in the CLC group had concomitant choledocholithiasis and underwent endoscopic stone retrieval before operation. The age, sex, predictive score for LC difficulties, preoperative leukocyte count, length of hospital stay and requirement of intramuscular meperidine injections were similar for both groups of patients, while, the operative times were marginally longer in the MLC group (113.8 +/- 30.8 versus 98.2 +/- 33.2 minutes, P = 0.056). No major complications occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis by MLC are as good as those of CLC if the operation is performed early, with obvious smaller incisions and minimal complications. MLC is a safe and effective procedure for patients with acute cholecystitis, and has an acceptable low conversion rate.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1993

Operative tube versus percutaneous cholecystostomy for acute cholecystitis.

The records of 26 patients who underwent cholecystostomy procedures for presumed acute cholecystitis during a 6-year period were reviewed. Nine patients had operative tube cholecystostomy (OC), and 17 patients had radiologic percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC). A correct diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was made in 22 of 26 patients (84%), including 14 of 17 PC patients and 8 of 9 in the OC group. The rate of resolution of cholecystitis was the same in each group (75% OC versus 78% PC). APACHE II scores prior to treatment were significantly higher in OC patients (20.9 OC versus 12.4 PC, p < 0.01). There were 5 deaths, including 3 in the OC groups and 2 in the PC group. Nonfatal complications were more frequent in the PC group. Two of the 14 correctly diagnosed PC patients (14%) subsequently required emergency cholecystectomy for persistent biliary sepsis, and 6 patients (43%) required at least 1 tube exchange for occlusion or dislodgement. Overall, only 5 of the 14 patients (36%) in the PC group were successfully treated without complications compared with 5 of 8 patients (63%) in the OC group. Despite its theoretical advantages, PC was no more effective than OC in the treatment of acute cholecystitis. These data suggest that OC remains a viable treatment option in critically ill patients with acute cholecystitis.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1996

Correlation among clinical, laboratory, and hepatobiliary scanning findings in patients with suspected acute cholecystitis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of various clinical and laboratory parameters to predict the results of hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) in patients with suspected acute cholecystitis. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of all patients referred from the emergency department for an HBS in 1993 to exclude acute cholecystitis. The setting was a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital with an annual census of approximately 42,000. The participants were 100 consecutive patients who were seen in the ED and had an HBS and obtainable medical records. Medical records of all patients referred from the ED for an urgent HBS in 1993 were retrospectively reviewed for the following information: demographics, historical information, physical findings, laboratory findings, biliary scintigraphic findings, and surgical pathologic findings. Comparisons were made between patients with a positive or negative HBS. Sensitivities, specificities, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for dichotomous variables with a positive HBS as a control standard. A separate analysis was performed for patients with pathologically confirmed acute cholecystitis. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients had a positive HBS, and 47 had a negative HBS. A history of fever had a positive predictive value of 100% and a sensitivity of 14.6%. The presence of Murphy's sign was both sensitive (97.2%) and highly predictive (93.3%) of a positive HBS yet was not documented in 35 cases. All other variables were not found to be helpful in predicting the results of HBS. Pathologic diagnoses were available in 44 patients. Of 40 patients with pathologically confirmed acute cholecystitis, fever and leukocytosis were absent at the time of presentation in 36 (90%) and 16 (40%) of the cases, respectively. Murphy's sign was absent in 3 (10%) of 29 of these patients. A stepwise analysis failed to identify any combination of clinical variables that was associated with a higher probability of a positive HBS. CONCLUSION: No single or combination of clinical or laboratory findings at the time of ED presentation identified all patients with a positive HBS. Murphy's sign had the highest sensitivity and positive predictive value yet was poorly documented. Liberal use of biliary scintigraphy or ultrasound is encouraged to avoid underdiagnosis of acute cholecystitis.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2002

[Value of power Doppler ultrasonography with intravenous contrast medium (Levograf) in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential capacity of color and power Doppler sonography with intravenous contrast medium in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. We examined 18 patients with acute cholecystitis, 5 patients with chronic cholecystitis and a control group of 11 patients without gallbladder disease. In these patients, vascularization of the gallbladder wall was evaluated by color and power Doppler sonography before and after intravenous administration of contrast medium (Levograf). Vascularization was evaluated with a 3-point scale (grades 0, 1 and 3) according to the intensity and localization of signs of color. In the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis, basal examination with power Doppler had a sensitivity of 38.8%. After administration of intravenous contrast medium, sensitivity was 100%. In conclusion, the use of sonographic contrast media in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis showed a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. This technique represents a viable diagnostic alternative to other complementary or imaging studies.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: a safe procedure.

Acute cholecystitis is increasingly managed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Some reports have shown conversion and complication rates that are increased in comparison to elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study reviews the combined experience of two hospitals where the intention was to perform early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. A total of 152 cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis (evidence of acute inflammation clinically and pathologically) were identified. Conversion to open cholecystectomy was required in 14 cases (9%) in the total series. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed within 2 days of admission in 76% (115 of 152) of patients. Conversion was significantly less likely in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 2 days of admission (4 of 115) compared to those undergoing surgery beyond 2 days (10 of 37; P<0.0001). Eleven patients (7%) had postoperative complications; however, there were no cases of injury to the biliary system and no perioperative deaths. This series shows that laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely in patients with acute cholecystitis and suggests that early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is preferable to delaying surgery. Although the conversion rate to open surgery is higher than for elective cholecystectomy, the majority of patients (91%) still derive the well-recognized benefits of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is an acceptable approach to acute cholecystitis for the experienced laparoscopic surgeon.

Acute Disease↗