Acute calculous cholecystitis: a real-life management study in a tertiary teaching hospital.

AIM: to describe the management of acute calculous cholecystitis in a tertiary teaching hospital and the outcomes obtained. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a retrospective single tertiary center cohort study. RESULTS: medical records of 487 patients were analyzed. The mean follow-up was 44.5 ± 17.0 months. Treatment alternatives were cholecystectomy (64.3%), conservative treatment (23.0%), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (17.4%), percutaneous cholecystostomy (10.7%) and endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (0.8%). Most cholecystectomies were delayed (88.8%). Recurrences occurred in 38.2% of patients. Although cholecystectomy was the therapeutic approach with the lowest recurrence rate once performed, 44.6% of patients that underwent delayed surgery had pre-surgical recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: delayed cholecystectomy is still commonly performed, even though it is related with a high frequency of preoperative recurrences.

Acute cholecystitis: comparing clinical outcomes with TG13 severity and intended laparoscopic versus open cholecystectomy in difficult operative cases.

INTRODUCTION: The revised Tokyo Guidelines include criteria for determining the severity of acute cholecystitis with treatment algorithms based on severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of the revised Tokyo Guidelines severity grade to clinical outcomes of cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. METHODS: We identified 66 patients with acute cholecystitis from a prior study of difficult cholecystectomy cases. We examined the relationship between severity grade and multiple variables related to perioperative and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: A more severe revised Tokyo Guidelines grade was associated with a higher number of complications (p = 0.03) and a higher severity of complications (p = 0.01). Severity grade did not predict operative time, estimated blood loss, intensive care unit admission or length of stay. Compared to planned open cholecystectomy, intended laparoscopic cholecystectomy was associated with significantly fewer total and Clavien-Dindo grade 3 complications, fewer intensive care unit admissions, and shorter length of stay (p values range from 0.03 to < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In technically difficult operations for acute cholecystitis, the revised Tokyo guidelines severity grade correlates with the number and severity of complications. However, intended performance of laparoscopic cholecystectomy rather than open cholecystectomy in difficult operations predicts broader beneficial outcomes than severity grade.

Validation of the AAST EGS acute cholecystitis grade and comparison with the Tokyo guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Acute cholecystitis presents with heterogeneous severity. The Tokyo Guidelines 2013 is a validated method to assess cholecystitis severity, but the variables are multifactorial. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) developed an anatomically based severity grading system for surgical diseases, including cholecystitis. Because the Tokyo Guidelines represent the gold standard to estimate acute cholecystitis severity, we wished to validate the AAST emergency general surgery scoring system and compare the performance of both systems for several patient outcomes. METHODS: Adults (≥18 years) with acute cholecystitis during 2013-2016 were identified. Baseline demographic characteristics, comorbidity severity as defined by Charlson Comorbidity Index score, procedure types, and AAST and Tokyo Guidelines 2013 grades were abstracted. Outcomes included duration of stay, 30-day mortality, and complications. Comparison of the Tokyo Guidelines and AAST grading system was performed using receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve C statistics. RESULTS: There were 443 patients, with a mean (±standard deviation) age of 64.8 (±18) years, 59% male. The median (interquartile ratio) Charlson Comorbidity score was 3 (0-6). Management included laparoscopic (n = 307, 69.3%), open (n = 26, 6%), laparoscopy converted to laparotomy (n = 53, 12%), and cholecystostomy (n = 57, 12.7%). Comparison of AAST with Tokyo Guidelines AUROC C statistics indicated (P < .05) mortality (0.86 vs 0.73), complication (0.76 vs 0.63), and cholecystostomy tube utilization (0.80 vs 0.68). CONCLUSION: Emergency general surgery grading systems improve disease severity assessment, may improve documentation, and guide management. Discrimination of disease severity using the AAST grading system outperforms the Tokyo Guidelines for key clinical outcomes. The AAST grading system requires prospective validation and further comparison.

Optimal timing of cholecystectomy after percutaneous gallbladder drainage for severe cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: The Tokyo guideline for acute cholecystitis recommended percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage followed by cholecystectomy for severe acute cholecystitis, but the optimal timing for the subsequent cholecystectomy remains controversial. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients who underwent either laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage for severe acute cholecystitis were enrolled and divided into difficult cholecystectomy (group A) and non-difficult cholecystectomy (group B). Patients who had one of these conditions were placed in group A: 1) conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy; 2) subtotal cholecystectomy and/or mucoclasis; 3) necrotizing cholecystitis or pericholecystic abscess formation; 4) tight adhesions around the gallbladder neck; and 5) unsuccessfully treated using PTGBD. Preoperative characteristics and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The interval between percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage and cholecystectomy in Group B was longer than that in Group A (631 h vs. 325 h; p = 0.031). Postoperative complications occurred more frequently when the interval was less than 216 h compared to when it was more than 216 h (35.7 vs. 7.6%; p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Cholecystectomy for severe acute cholecystitis was technically difficult when performed within 216 h after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage.

Severity of Acute Cholecystitis and Risk of Iatrogenic Bile Duct Injury During Cholecystectomy, a Population-Based Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Acute cholecystitis is a common complication to gallstone disease. The relation between the severity of acute cholecystitis and risk of bile duct injury during cholecystectomy has not yet been addressed and is the main focus of this study. METHODS: All cases with iatrogenic bile duct injury during cholecystectomy, within the Lake Mälaren region, Sweden, were identified through ICD procedure codes for biliary reconstruction within the Swedish Inpatient Register and matched to non-injured cholecystectomized controls. Information regarding perioperative variables was collected through medical record review. RESULTS: After review, 158 cases and 623 controls remained for analyses. Adjusted risk of bile duct injury was doubled among patients with acute cholecystitis (OR 1.97 95 % CI 1.05-3.72), whereas a mild acute cholecystitis (Tokyo grade I) did not affect the risk of bile duct injury (OR 0.96 95 % CI 0.41-2.25), a moderate (Tokyo grade II) more than doubled the risk (OR 2.41 95 % CI 1.21-4.80). Severe cholecystitis (Tokyo grade III) had a close to significant eightfold increase in risk (OR 8.43 95 % CI 0.97-72.9). The intention to use intraoperative cholangiography reduced injury risk by 52 % (OR 0.48, 95 % CI 0.29-0.81). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with on-going acute cholecystitis had twice the risk of sustaining a biliary lesion compared to patients without acute cholecystitis. There was a relation between the Tokyo guidelines severity grading of acute cholecystitis and injury risk and the intention to use intraoperative cholangiography halved the risk of reconstructed bile duct injury during cholecystectomy.

Does the Tokyo guidelines predict the extent of gallbladder inflammation in patients with acute cholecystitis? A single center retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Tokyo guidelines provide criteria for the diagnosis and classification of acute cholecystitis in three severity grades. However, no data exists on the predictive value of these guidelines. The aim of this study was to analyze the accuracy of the Tokyo guidelines as a predicting parameter for the severity of acute cholecystitis in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the charts of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis in a primary care hospital within a five-year period was performed. The preoperative severity grades were compared with the histological extent of inflammation. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight patients; 79 with severity grade I, 33 with grade II and 26 with grade III were analyzed. The incidence of uncomplicated cholecystitis decreased with increasing severity grade, while the incidence of complicated cholecystitis increased with increasing severity. However, complicated cholecystitis was evident in an unexpectedly high number of cases with severity grade I. There was a significant correlation (χ (2)(1) = 10. 43, p = 0.01) between the preoperative severity grade and the extent of gallbladder inflammation on histopathology. Conversion to open surgery (14 vs. 5, p = 0.002) and complications (17 vs. 7, p = 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with preoperative severity grade II/III compared to patients with severity grade I. CONCLUSION: Worsening clinical severity correlated significantly with worseing pathology, findings from blood test and clinical outcomes; rates of conversion and morbidity. However, the Tokyo guidelines may have a tendency to underestimate the extent of inflammation in male patients with severity grade I and over estimate the difficulty of dissection in severity grade II.

[Surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis].

Fundamental treatment for acute cholecystitis is cholecystectomy. However, the adoption of a treatment is dependend on degree of a severity of acute cholecystitis in each patient because its degree is influenced by factors such as duration from the onset of symptoms to medical examination. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the preferred procedure for mild acute cholecystitis. Early cholecystectomy is also performed for moderately acute cholecystitis. However, if patients have severe local inflammation (gangrenous and purulent cholecystitis) early gallbladder drainage or open cholecystectomy is indicated. Emergency operation under adequate medical treatment is indicated for a patient with severe local inflammation of the gallbladder, torsion of the gallbladder, emphysematous cholecystitis, gangrenous cholecystitis, and purulent cholecystitis. Pericholecystic abscess, necrosis of the gallbladder wall, and perforation of the gallbladder can be diagnosed accurately by use of imaging diagnosis. The optimal surgical treatment for acute cholecystitis according to grade of severity should be performed referring to imaging findings.

Correlación ecográfica-laparoscópica en colecistitis crónica y aguda: validación 10 años después / Ultrasonographic and laparoscopic correlation in acute and chronic cholecystitis: 10 years later validation

Introduction: Abdominal ultrasound is the initial diagnosis tool for gallbladder disease and laparoscopic surgery is the gold standard approach. The aim of this study was to validate 10 years after, the ultrasonographic and laparoscopic findings previously proposed by our team to forecast laparoscopic cholecystectomy in terms of difficulties and perioperative complications. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 336 patients operated by laparoscopy between June and ¡December 2007 in our center. Ultrasound findings were classified according to the classification proposed in 1997 based on the thickness of the gallbladder wall, lumen and the presence of gallstones or sonic shadow. Results: Type I and IIA cholecystitis had a lower percentage of intraoperative difficulties (14.9 and 32.8 percent respectively) and conversion to open surgery (1.1 vs 1.7 percent respectively), whereas type LIB and III were associated greater presence of difficulties (51.3 percent and 71.4 percent respectively) and conversion rate (9.2 percent and 23.8 percent respectively). Conclusions: this classification is a useful tool in de correlation of ultrasonographic and laparoscopic findings in acute and chronic cholecystitis, helping the surgeon in predicting surgical problems, complications and risk of conversion to open surgery and supports the results previously published.

Introducción: La ecografia abdominal constituye el examen inicial en la patología vesicular; la cirugía laparoscópica es la vía de abordaje de elección. El objetivo de este estudio fue validar, 10 años después, la clasificación ecográfica y su correlación con los hallazgos laparoscópicos, propuesta previamente por nuestro equipo de trabajo para pronóstico de la colecistectomía laparoscópica en cuanto a dificultades y complicaciones peri operatorias. Materiales y Métodos: Se evaluaron 336 pacientes operados por vía laparoscópica entre junio y diciembre de 2007 en nuestro centro. Los hallazgos ecográficos se clasificaron de acuerdo a la clasificación propuesta en 1997, basada en el grosor de la pared vesicular, la presencia de lumen y de cálculos o sombra sónica. Programa Stata 9.1. Se realizó prueba de comparación de proporciones con p < 0,05. Resultados: Las colecistitis tipo I y IIA tuvieron menor porcentaje de dificultades intraoperatorias (14,9 y 32,8 por ciento) y de conversión a cirugía abierta (1,1 y 1,7 por ciento), mientras que las tipo IIB y III se asociaron a una mayor presencia de dificultades (51,3 por ciento y 71,4 por ciento respectivamente) y porcentaje de conversión (9,2 y 23,8 por ciento respectivamente). Conclusiones: esta clasificación constituye una herramienta útil en la correlación de hallazgos ecográficos y laparoscópicos en colecistitis crónica y aguda, ayudando al cirujano en la predicción de problemas quirúrgicos, complicaciones y riesgo de conversión a cirugía abierta, apoyando los resultados previamente publicados.

Diagnostic criteria and severity assessment of acute cholecystitis: Tokyo Guidelines.

The aim of this article is to propose new criteria for the diagnosis and severity assessment of acute cholecystitis, based on a systematic review of the literature and a consensus of experts. A working group reviewed articles with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of acute cholecystitis and extracted the best current available evidence. In addition to the evidence and face-to-face discussions, domestic consensus meetings were held by the experts in order to assess the results. A provisional outcome statement regarding the diagnostic criteria and criteria for severity assessment was discussed and finalized during an International Consensus Meeting held in Tokyo 2006. Patients exhibiting one of the local signs of inflammation, such as Murphy's sign, or a mass, pain or tenderness in the right upper quadrant, as well as one of the systemic signs of inflammation, such as fever, elevated white blood cell count, and elevated C-reactive protein level, are diagnosed as having acute cholecystitis. Patients in whom suspected clinical findings are confirmed by diagnostic imaging are also diagnosed with acute cholecystitis. The severity of acute cholecystitis is classified into three grades, mild (grade I), moderate (grade II), and severe (grade III). Grade I (mild acute cholecystitis) is defined as acute cholecystitis in a patient with no organ dysfunction and limited disease in the gallbladder, making cholecystectomy a low-risk procedure. Grade II (moderate acute cholecystitis) is associated with no organ dysfunction but there is extensive disease in the gallbladder, resulting in difficulty in safely performing a cholecystectomy. Grade II disease is usually characterized by an elevated white blood cell count; a palpable, tender mass in the right upper abdominal quadrant; disease duration of more than 72 h; and imaging studies indicating significant inflammatory changes in the gallbladder. Grade III (severe acute cholecystitis) is defined as acute cholecystitis with organ dysfunction.