Incidence of common bile duct stones in patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis.

ABSTRACT

In this study, a series of 705 patients with chronic cholecystitis and 203 with acute cholecystitis were surgically treated. The age distribution for the two groups was similar. Operative cholangiography was performed upon 661 patients (94.0 per cent) with chronic cholecystitis and upon 182 patients (90 per cent) with acute cholecystitis. The common bile duct was explored in 146 patients (20.7 per cent) with chronic cholecystitis and in 41 patients (20.1 per cent) with acute cholecystitis, and bile duct calculi were found in 106 patients (15 per cent) with chronic cholecystitis and in 29 patients (14.2 per cent) with acute inflammation of the gallbladder. The total number of postoperative complications and the operative mortality were similar for the two groups. It is concluded that the incidence of common bile duct stones in patients with acute cholecystitis is the same as for those with chronic cholecystitis.