A novel approach to distinguish complicated and non-complicated acute cholecystitis: Decision tree method.

It is difficult to differentiate between non-complicated acute cholecystitis (NCAC) and complicated acute cholecystitis (CAC) preoperatively, which are two separate pathologies with different management. The aim of this study was to create an algorithm that distinguishes between CAC and NCAC using the decision tree method, which includes simple examinations. In this retrospective study, the patients were divided into 2 groups: CAC (149 patients) and NCAC (885 patients). Parameters such as patient demographic data, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, Tokyo grade, comorbidity findings, white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, albumin level, CRP/albumin ratio (CAR), and gallbladder wall thickness (GBWT) were evaluated. In this algorithm, the CRP value became a very important parameter in the distinction between NCAC and CAC. Age was an important predictive factor in patients with CRP levels >57 mg/L, and the critical value for age was 42. After the age factor, the important parameters in the decision tree were WBC and GBWT. In patients with a CRP value of ≤57 mg/L, GBWT is decisive and the critical value is 4.85 mm. Age, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and WBC count were among the other important factors after GBWT. Sex, ASA score, Tokyo grade, comorbidity, CAR, and albumin value did not have an effect on the distinction between NCAC and CAC. In statistical analysis, significant differences were found groups in terms of gender (34.8% vs 51.7% male), ASA score (P < .001), Tokyo grade (P < .001), comorbidity (P < .001), albumin (4 vs 3.4 g/dL), and CAR (2.4 vs 38.4). By means of this algorithm, which includes low-cost examinations, NCAC and CAC distinction can be made easily and quickly within limited possibilities. Preoperative prediction of pathologies that are difficult to manage, such as CAC, can minimize patient morbidity and mortality.

Assessment of Gallbladder Drainage Methods in the Treatment of Acute Cholecystitis: A Literature Review.

Gallbladder drainage is a treatment option in high-risk surgical patients with moderate or severe acute cholecystitis. It may be applied as a bridge to cholecystectomy or a definitive treatment option. Apart from the simple and widely accessible percutaneous cholecystostomy, new attractive techniques have emerged in the previous decade, including endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage and endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage. The aim of this paper is to present currently available drainage techniques in the treatment of AC; evaluate their technical and clinical effectiveness, advantages, possible adverse events, and patient outcomes; and illuminate the decision-making path when choosing among various treatment modalities for each patient, depending on their clinical characteristics and the accessibility of methods.

Acute cholecystitis: early versus delayed surgery.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is widely established as the standard operation in acute cholecystectomy. Valid data from several prospective studies, including a recent large randomized multicenter trial, are available, demonstrating that early cholecystectomy is associated with less morbidity, a shorter length of hospital stay, and lower total hospital costs compared with delayed cholecystectomy after a conservative treatment period with antibiotics. Early cholecystectomy within 24 hours of hospital admission is the therapy of choice in patients fit for surgery and should be implemented as the standard treatment algorithm for this condition.