Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration following prior gastrectomy: surgical safety and feasibility.

PURPOSE: Previous gastrectomy (PG) can lead to an increased incidence of biliary stones. However, the success rate of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography after gastrectomy remains low. In such cases, laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) may be an alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of LCBDE for patients who underwent PG. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with a history of LCBDE was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups according to their PG status, and their perioperative data were compared. RESULTS: The outcomes of 27 patients with a history of gastrectomy were compared with those of 155 without a history of gastrectomy who underwent LCBDE. PG patients experienced longer hospitalization times (P = 0.006), more postoperative bleeding (p = 0.021), a lower incidence of preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (P < 0.001), and a higher incidence of T-tube application (p = 0.002) than those without gastrectomy. However, there were no significant differences in estimated blood loss volume, operation time, bile leakage status, pancreatitis status, stone clearance rate, readmission rate, or recurrence rate. CONCLUSIONS: Although LCBDE following gastrectomy may require laborious perioperative management, a history of gastrectomy might not influence the feasibility or safety of LCBDE, as its perioperative outcomes are comparable to those in patients without a history of gastrectomy.

Reappraisal of clinical indication regarding total pancreatectomy: can we do it for the risky gland?

BACKGROUND: Although total pancreatectomy (TP) is performed at an increasing rate at major pancreatic centers, there is still debate regarding its indications and outcomes. This study aims to analyze the indications and outcomes of TP using our retrospective data. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on patients who underwent TP between January 2009 and December 2019 at two academic hospitals using data collected. Preoperative data, including demographics and clinical picture, operative details, and postoperative data, were collected and analyzed. Conventional indications of TP included positive margin on the neck, lesion of the central part of the pancreas, and diffuse lesions of the whole pancreas. The classification of the risky gland included pancreas remnants, which had higher risk for pancreaticoenterostomy after pancreatic head resection. RESULTS: During the study periods, a total of 72 TP were performed for benign and malignant pancreatic diseases. After excluding six TP undergone due to trauma or complication after partial pancreatectomy, 64 patients were grouped into 47 patients with existing conventional indications and 17 patients with predicted risky anastomosis. There was no significant difference in clinical data and surgical results between the conventional indication group and the risky gland group. Thirty-day major morbidity and mortality was 9.4% and 0%, respectively. Ninety-day mortality rate was 1.4% (n=1, conventional group), with the median follow-up length of 21.5 months. Overall 5-year survival rate was 67.7% for the total participants: 87.5% for the risk gland group and 57.9% for the conventional group. There was no significant difference in between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Total pancreatectomy appears to be a viable option for risky glands in terms of surgical safety.

Prognostic significance of stem cell/ epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in periampullary/pancreatic cancers: FGFR1 is a promising prognostic marker.

BACKGROUND: Periampullary cancers (PAC) including pancreatic, ampulla of Vater (AOV), and common bile duct (CBD) cancers are highly aggressive with a lack of useful prognostic markers beyond T stage. However, T staging can be biased due to the anatomic complexity of this region. Recently, several markers related to cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) such as octamer transcription factor-4 (Oct4) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) respectively, have been proposed as new promising markers in other solid cancers. The aim of this study was to assess the expression and prognostic significance of stem cell/EMT markers in PACs. METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of surgically excised PACs from the laboratory archives from 1998 to 2014 were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for stem cell/EMT markers using tissue microarray. The clinicopathologic parameters were documented and statistically analyzed with the immunohistochemical findings. Survival and recurrence data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 126 PAC cases were evaluated. The average age was 63 years, with 76 male and 50 female patient samples. Age less than 74 years, AOV cancers, lower T & N stage, lower tumor size, no lymphatic, vascular, perineural invasion and histologic well differentiation, intestinal type, no fibrosis, severe inflammation were significantly associated with the better overall survival High expression levels of FGFR1 as well as CK20, CDX2, and VEGF were significantly related to better overall survival, while other stem cell markers were not related. Similar findings were observed for tumor recurrence using disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to other clinicopathologic parameters, severe fibrosis was related to frequent tumor recurrence, and high FGFR1 expression was associated with better overall survival. Histologic changes such as extensive fibrosis need to be investigated further in relation to EMT of PACs.

Safety and feasibility of single-port laparoscopic appendectomy as a training procedure for surgical residents.

BACKGROUND: Single-port laparoscopic appendectomy (SPLA) is one of the most commonly performed single-port surgeries worldwide. This study aimed to determine whether the performance of SPLA by residents without sufficient experience as operators of conventional LA (CLA) is safe and feasible. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of patients who underwent LA between March 2017 and February 2018 at a hospital in Korea were retrospectively analysed. Patients aged <18 years or> 80 years were excluded from the study. SPLA and CLA were performed by two 2nd-year residents (junior group) and three 3rd-year residents (senior group). Demographic data, perioperative variables and surgical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: During the study period, 154 patients underwent LA (104 SPLA and 50 CLA) performed by surgical residents. No differences were found between the SPLA and CLA groups in demographic data or perioperative variables, except for the drain insertion rate. The SPLA group had significantly shorter mean operation times than did the CLA group. No significant difference was observed between the junior and senior groups in the mean operation time for LA. Perioperative outcomes were not significantly different between groups. Fewer women underwent SPLA performed by 2nd-year residents compared with SPLA performed by 3rd-year residents. However, there were no differences in other general characteristics or perioperative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: SPLA was safe and feasible when performed by junior residents. Surgical residents with sufficient experience as assistants during laparoscopic appendectomies could perform SPLA safely. Furthermore, SPLA could serve as a teaching procedure for surgical residents.

Pathologic response to preoperative transarterial chemoembolization for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma may not predict recurrence after liver resection.

BACKGROUND: Pathologic response (PR) predicts survival after preoperative chemotherapy and resection of a malignancy. Occasionally, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) may be selected for preoperative management of resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigated whether PR to preoperative TACE can predict recurrence after resection for resectable HCC. METHODS: We conducted analysis of 106 HCC patients who underwent TACE followed by liver resection with a curative intent. The PR was evaluated as the mean percentage of non-viable tumor area within each tumor. We divided the patients into three groups according to response rate: complete PR (CPR), major response (MJR: PR≥50%) and minor response (MNR: PR<50%). The primary endpoint was disease-free survival, and the secondary endpoints were predicting factors for tumor recurrence and MJR+CPR. RESULTS: Among the 121 TACE patients, PR could be measured in 106 (87.6%). The mean interval between TACE and liver resection was 33.1 days. The 5-year disease-free survival rates by PR status were as follows: 40.6% CPR, 43.7% MJR, and 49.0% MNR (P=0.815). There were also no significant differences in overall survival between the three groups. Multivariate analyses revealed that microvascular invasion and capsular invasion (hazard ratio [HR]=11.224, P=0.002 and HR=2.220, P=0.043) were independent predictors of disease-free survival. Multivariate analysis of the predictors of above 50% PR revealed that only hepatitis B was an independent factor. CONCLUSION: These data could reflect that the PR after TACE for resectable HCC may not be useful for predicting recurrence of HCC after resection.

The effect of modified pancreaticojejunostomy for reducing the pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pancreatic fistula (PF) has traditionally been a source of significant morbidity and mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). External drainage of pancreatic duct with stent and Blumgart anastomosis had reduced PF after PD in some studies. We applied compounding described two methods for pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) during PD, and investigated the effectiveness of this modified PJ technique to prevent PF. METHODOLOGY: Between March 2002, and March 2013, 90 patients who underwent PD were enrolled. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to pancreatienterostomy method. Group 1 contain patients who did not undergo modified PJ (n=70) compared with group 2 (n=20) those who did undergo the modified PJ technique. We compared clinical data between two groups. RESULTS: No differences were noted in the demographics and operation-related factors, between the 2 groups. A PF occurred in 38 of 70 patients in group 1 (54.3%) and in 2 of 20 in group 2 (10.0%). Group 2 had a significantly lower incidence of PF (P=.0016), and these fistulas were classified as being grade A using the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula Definition. Mortality in group 1 was 10.0% and no mortality in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: External drainage with Blumgart method of PJ showed reducing high grade PF after PD.

Prognostic utility of adequate nutritional support in critically ill surgical patients as revealed by the modified nutrition risk in critically ill score.

BACKGROUND: The modified Nutrition Risk in the Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) score was developed to identify patients most likely to benefit from nutritional therapies and to stratify or select subjects for clinical trials. However, the validity of the score and the association between that score and the prognosis of patients in surgical intensive care units (SICUs) remain unclear. This study explored whether the score was a useful prognostic indicator for SICU patients, and whether survival could be improved via nutritional interventions based on mNUTRIC status. METHODS: This retrospective observational study enrolled 123 patients admitted to our SICU for critical care from January 2018 to December 2019. Among these, mNUTRIC medical data were available for 116. In-hospital mortality rates were compared based on both mNUTRIC status and the adequacy of nutritional supplementation. RESULTS: mNUTRIC-high status (5 points or more) was apparent in 16 â€‹% of all critically ill surgical patients. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in those with mNUTRIC-high scores (42.1 â€‹% vs. 15.5 â€‹%, P â€‹= â€‹0.023). Both groups exhibited less mortality when nutrition was adequate vs. inadequate (5.0 â€‹% vs. 40.9 â€‹% and 26.7 â€‹% vs. 100 â€‹%, respectively). In multivariate analysis, mNUTRIC-high scores and inadequate nutritional support were significant risk factors for in-hospital mortality (hazard ratios 7.336 and 13.636, P â€‹= â€‹0.027 and 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: In critically ill surgical patients, those identified as nutritionally high-risk using the mNUTRIC classification had poor in-hospital survival. Moreover, patients who received adequate nutritional support had a better prognosis than those who did not.

Accuracy of preoperative T2 gallbladder tumor localization and the adequate surgical resection.

INTRODUCTION: The agreement between the radiologic and histopathologic tumor locations in T2 gallbladder cancer is critical. There is no consensus regarding the extent of curative resection by tumor locations. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2019, a consecutive series of 118 patients with pathological T2 gallbladder cancer who underwent surgery were retrospectively analyzed in terms of the accordance between radiologic and histopathologic tumor locations, the extents of hepatic resection and the numbers of harvested lymph nodes. Radical resection was defined as liver resection with harvesting of at least four lymph nodes. RESULTS: The accuracy of preoperative tumor localization was only 68%. After radical resection, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 59.4%; after nonradical resection, the figure was 46.1% (p = 0.092). In subanalyses, the 5-year OS was marginally better for patients who underwent liver resection or from whom at least four lymph nodes were harvested than those who did not undergo liver resection or from whom three or fewer lymph nodes were harvested (58.2% vs. 39.4%, p = 0.072; 59.9% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.072, respectively). In patients with peritoneal side tumor, the 5-year OSs of those who did and did not undergo liver resection were 67% and 41.2%, respectively (p = 0.028). In multivariate analysis, perineural invasion and radical resection were independently prognostic of OS. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of preoperative tumor localization was 68%. Hepatic resection, lymph node dissection harvesting of at least four lymph nodes are required for curative resection for gallbladder cancer, regardless of tumor location.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a good prognostic marker for pancreatic/periampullary cancers.

BACKGROUND: Periampullary cancer (PAC) is highly aggressive with no effective adjuvant therapy or prognostic markers. Recently, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases-1 (PARP-1) have emerged as a target in solid cancers, and its relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been observed. However, the relationship between PARP-1 and EMT in PAC has not explored well. METHODS: We assessed the prognostic significance of PARP1 in 190 PACs patients and correlated it with EMT markers, including FGF8, FGFR4, MMP2, MMP3, Snail, and ZEB1. Immunohistochemistry for PARP-1 and EMT markers was performed using a tissue microarray. RESULTS: PARP-1 and FGF8 expression were associated with better survival unlike other solid cancers (P = 0.006 and P = 0.003), and MMP3 and ZEB1 expression were associated with poor prognosis in multivariate and survival analyses (P = 0.009 and P < 0.001). In addition, PARP-1 is related negatively to Snail but not related with other EMT markers, implying an independent mechanism between PARP-1 and EMT in PACs. PARP-1 and FGF8 are independent good survival markers in PACs unlike other solid cancers. CONCLUSIONS: PARP-1 and FGF8 in PACs could not be related to the EMT pathway but must be rather understood in light of similar cancer-protective roles. Further studies are required on EMT-associated immune markers in PACs.

The preliminary clinical experience with laparoscopic duodenojejunal bypass for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in non-morbidly obese patients: the 1-year result in a single institute.

BACKGROUND: Although various bariatric surgeries are widely known for their effect of ameliorating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there are only a few reports demonstrating the effect of duodenojejunal bypass on T2DM. The aim of this study was to evaluate and report the clinical effects of laparoscopic duodenojejunal bypass (LDJB) in non-morbidly obese patients with T2DM. METHODS: Twelve non-morbidly obese patients with T2DM underwent LDJB. Changes in fasting blood glucose, body mass index glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and dose of antidiabetic medications were recorded prospectively during a 1-year period. RESULTS: Reduction in HbA1c occurred 3 months after surgery and was maintained up to 1 year, and hyperglycemia was reversed within 1 month after surgery and remained controlled at 12 months. BMI decreased significantly 1 month after surgery and then remained steady through the year. Three patients (25.0 %) stopped antidiabetic medication, seven (58.3 %) patients maintained or decreased doses, and two (16.7 %) increased doses. Seven (58.3 %) patients had a decline in HbA1c. CONCLUSION: LDJB demonstrated a glycemic control effect up to 1 year on T2DM in non-morbidly obese patients.

Is hepatectomy an appropriate option for bilobar liver metastasis with portal vein tumor thrombus of colorectal cancer?

The prognosis of patients with multiple liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CLM) on both lobes accompanied by a portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) remains unclear. We report two patients with multiple CLM and PVTT who underwent liver resection. A 73-year-old man had successful extended right hemi-hepatectomy with a thrombectomy for a macroscopic tumor thrombus in the right portal branch and multiple CLM in both lobes. At 8 months after surgery, the patient had multiple CLM in the remnant lobe with left main PVTT and died 14 months after liver surgery. A 64-year-old woman who had previously undergone palliative chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the ascending colon presented with CLM accompanied by a macroscopic tumor thrombus in the left portal branch. Tumor and PVTT had progressed despite various regimens of chemotherapy. Left hemi-hepatectomy with radiofrequency ablation on right lobe and right hemicolectomy were performed. However, CLM occurred again within 3 months after the liver surgery. Considering these cases, a poor prognosis may be expected even though the tumor is successfully removed by liver resection.

Korean Surgical Practice Guideline for Pancreatic Cancer 2022: A summary of evidence-based surgical approaches

Pancreatic cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Korea. Despite the increasing incidence and high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer, there are no appropriate surgical practice guidelines for the current domestic medical situation. To enable standardization of management and facilitate improvements in surgical outcome, a total of 10 pancreatic surgical experts who are members of Korean Association of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery have developed new recommendations that integrate the most up-to-date, evidence-based research findings and expert opinions. This is an English version of the Korean Surgical Practice Guideline for Pancreatic Cancer 2022. This guideline includes 13 surgical questions and 15 statements. Due to the lack of high-level evidence, strong recommendation is almost impossible. However, we believe that this guideline will help surgeons understand the current status of evidence and suggest what to investigate further to establish more solid recommendations in the future.

Safety of performing distal pancreatosplenectomy in patients who underwent distal gastrectomy previously: a multicenter cohort analysis with systematic literature review.

Purpose: In patients who have previously undergone subtotal gastrectomy (STG), the remnant stomach is supplied with arterial blood through the splenic artery. It is currently unclear whether the remnant stomach can be safely preserved when performing distal pancreatosplenectomy (DPS) in these patients. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of performing DPS in patients who had undergone a previous STG. Methods: A multicenter cohort study was performed to identify patients who underwent DPS. Electronic medical data of Clinical Data Warehouse from 7 representative high-volume centers in 5 cities were retrospectively reviewed. A propensity score-matched analysis was performed to match patients who had no history of upper abdominal surgery with patients who had undergone a previous STG. Results: Fourteen DPS patients who had a history of STG (STG group) were studied and matched to 70 patients who underwent DPS without any history of upper abdominal surgery (non-STG group). All patients in the STG group had the remnant stomach preserved. In most patients, the blood vessel supplying blood to the remnant stomach was the left inferior phrenic artery. There was no significant difference in the incidence of stomach-related complications or length of hospital stay between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Our study results suggest that the remnant stomach could be safely preserved when performing DPS in patients with a prior STG. However, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the vascular structure of the remnant stomach through preoperative imaging study and closely observe changes to the blue stomach during the operation.

Solid tumors of the pancreas can put on a mask through cystic change.

BACKGROUND: Solid pancreatic tumors such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT), and pancreatic endocrine tumor (PET) may occasionally manifest as cystic lesions. In this study, we have put together our accumulated experience with cystic manifestations of various solid tumors of the pancreas. METHODS: From 2000 to 2006, 376 patients with pancreatic solid tumor resections were reviewed. Ten (2.66%) of these tumors appeared on radiological imaging studies as cystic lesions. We performed a retrospective review of medical records and pathologic findings of these 10 cases. RESULTS: Of the ten cases in which solid tumors of the pancreas manifested as cystic lesions, six were PDAC with cystic degeneration, two were SPT undergone complete cystic change, one was cystic PET, and one was a cystic schwannoma. The mean tumor size of the cystic portion in PDAC was 7.3 cm, and three patients were diagnosed as 'pseudocyst' with or without cancer. Two SPT were found incidentally in young women and were diagnosed as other cystic neoplasms. One cystic endocrine tumor was preoperatively suspected as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm or mucinous cystic neoplasm. CONCLUSIONS: Cystic changes of pancreas solid tumors are extremely rare. However, the possibility of cystic manifestation of pancreas solid tumors should be kept in mind.

Amylase level after pancreaticoduodenectomy in predicting postoperative pancreatic fistula.

BACKGROUND: It is new clinical interest higher serum amylase level with pancreatitis after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) correlates with postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Nevertheless, its evidence and study were scarce. We aimed to investigate correlation of serum amylase level immediate after PD and POPF occurrence. METHODS: Of 163 patients who underwent PD at between January 2009 and December 2019, retrospective analysis was conducted to identify risk factors including serum amylase level immediate after PD for POPF occurrence. RESULTS: Overall incidence of POPF (25/163) was 15.3%. The patients occurred a POPF had significantly higher level of serum amylase on POD0 compared to in whom without a POPF (414 vs 253, p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, ASA classification, post pancreatectomy acute pancreatitis (POAP, serum amylase on POD0 >285IU/L) and Fistula Risk Grade were correlated with POPF occurrence. In multivariable analysis, Fistula risk grade and POAP were significantly associated with developing POPF. CONCLUSION: In patients with higher serum amylase (>285IU/L) on POD0 with higher fistula risk grade, comprehensive management to achieve mitigation of POPF is important.

High Expression of PD-L1 Is Associated with Better Survival in Pancreatic/Periampullary Cancers and Correlates with Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition.

Periampullary cancers (PACs) are characterized by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), severe fibrosis, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). The immune checkpoint marker programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligands 1 and 2 have gained popularity in cancers with TILs. Evidence suggests a strong relationship between immune checkpoint markers and EMT in cancers. Here, we evaluated the expression and prognostic significance of immune checkpoint and EMT markers in PAC using an automated image analyzer. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgically excised PAC tissues from laboratory archives (1998-2014) were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 in a tissue microarray. In total, 115 PAC patients (70 males and 45 females) with an average age of 63 years were analyzed. Location, gross type, size, radial resection margin, N-M stage, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, histologically well-differentiated severe inflammation, and high PD-L1 expression were significantly associated with recurrence. Higher PD-L1 expression, but not PD-1 and PD-L2, was significantly related to better overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). PD-L1 and PD-L2 were significantly related to EMT markers. Aside from other clinicopathologic parameters, high PD-L1 expression was significantly related to better OS and DFS of PAC patients. Moreover, immune checkpoint markers were significantly associated with EMT markers. Therefore, PD-L1 expression can be a good prognostic marker to guide future immune target-based therapies in PAC patients.

Appraisal of Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Explorations Using Balloon-Assisted Stone Extraction Method: Seventeen Years Experiences.

Background: Balloon-assisted stone extraction (BASE) can be applied to remove the common bile duct (CBD) stones during laparoscopic CBD exploration (LCBDE). This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of BASE. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with CBD stone who underwent LCBDE using BASE from 2001 to 2017 was conducted. The outcomes of BASE and potential factor for failure of technique were also evaluated. Results: A total of 163 patients underwent LCBDE using BASE were enrolled. Success rate of BASE was 88.3% (144/163) and 19 (11.7%) patients with failed BASE underwent basket for lithotripsy additionally. The reason for aborting BASE were stone impaction (n = 6), small stone (n = 4), migration into intrahepatic duct (IHD) (n = 3), and others (n = 6). The overall success rate of stone clearance was 98.2% (160/163). The mean CBD diameter was 15.8 mm (range 7-34 mm), and the largest stone size was 13.8 mm (range 3-36 mm). The overall rate of complication related with procedure was 4.9% (8/163), including bile leakage in 2 patients (1.2%), bleeding in 2 patients (1.2%), and pancreatitis in 4 patients (2.4%). There was no procedure-related mortality. Conclusions: BASE for CBD stone is safe and effective technique for the treatment of CBD stones.

Clinical implication of bactibilia in moderate to severe acute cholecystitis undergone cholecystostomy following cholecystectomy.

There is little evidence of clinical outcome in using antibiotics during the perioperative phase of acute cholecystitis with bactibilia. The aim of current study is to examine the effect of bactibilia on patients with acute cholecystitis and their perioperative clinical outcome. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of 128 patients who underwent cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis with moderate and severe grade. Patients who were positive for bactibilia were compared to bactibilia-negative group in following categories: morbidity, duration of antimicrobial agent use, in-hospital course, and readmission rate. There was no difference in morbidity when patients with bactibilia (n = 70) were compared to those without (n = 58) after cholecystectomy. The duration of antibiotics use and clinical course were also similar in both groups. In severe grade AC group (n = 18), patients used antibiotics and were hospitalized for a significantly longer period of time than those in the moderate grade AC group. The morbidity including surgical site infection, and readmission rates were not significantly different in moderate and severe grade AC groups. In moderate and severe AC groups, bactibilia itself did not predict more complication and worse clinical course. Antibiotics may be safely discontinued within few days after cholecystectomy irrespective of bactibilia when cholecystectomy is successful.