Summary

Background:

Recent studies have suggested that urgent cholecystectomy is the preferred treatment for acute cholecystitis. However, initial conservative treatment followed by delayed elective surgery is still common practice in many medical centers.

Objectives:

To determine the effect of percutaneous cholecystostomy on surgical outcome in patients undergoing delayed elective cholecystectomy.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to our medical center with acute cholecystitis who were treated by conservative treatment followed by delayed cholecystectomy between 2004 and 2013. Logistic regression was calculated to assess the association of percutaneous cholecystostomy with patient characteristics, planned surgical procedure, and the clinical and surgical outcomes.

Results:

We identified 370 patients. Of these, 134 patients (36%) underwent cholecystostomy during the conservative treatment period. Patients who underwent cholecystostomy were older and at higher risk for surgery. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was offered to 92% of all patients, yet assignment to the open surgical approach was more common in the cholecystostomy group (16% vs. 3%). Cholecystostomy was associated with significantly higher conversion rates to open approach (26% vs. 13%) but was not associated with longer operative time, hemorrhage, surgical infections, or bile duct or organ injuries.

Conclusions:

Treatment with cholecystostomy is associated with higher conversion rates but does not include other major operative-related complications or poorer clinical outcome.