RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Acute cholecystitis (AC) is an important cause of emergency admissions among the elderly. The use of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) as bridging therapy among high-risk patients is widely accepted. However, the use of PC as definitive treatment is controversial. AIM: To determine the characteristics, clinical outcomes and predictors of recurrence of AC among patients who underwent PC. METHODS: A retrospective case series of 71 consecutive patients [73 (38-96) years, 43/71 males] treated with PC for AC at a tertiary hospital from 2007 to 2013, with data collected from case records. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for 37.0 (0.1-110.8) months after PC. Mortality rate was 8.5 % (6/71) during the index admission and 32.4 % (23/71) at the end of follow-up. Recurrence rate for AC was 11.9 % (7/59). Median time to recurrence was 62 (13-464) days. PC was definitive treatment in 33/59. Predictors of recurrence were higher serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at diagnosis (OR = 1.01, 95 % CI 1.00-1.02, p = 0.021) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during index admission (OR = 8.00, 95 % CI 1.19-54.0, p = 0.033). Fifteen patients (26.3 %, 15/71) had post-procedural complications including dislodgement (14 %, 10/71), tube obstruction (7.0 %, 5/71), bile leaks (2.8 %, 2/71), gallbladder perforation (1.4 %, 1/71), bowels perforation (1.4 %, 1/71) and severe post-procedural haemorrhage (1.4 %, 1/71). CONCLUSION: PC is effective and relatively safe in high-risk patients with AC. However, patients with higher ALP or AMI during index admission have higher risk of recurrence and might benefit from definitive cholecystectomy.