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  Vol. 134 No. 7, July 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Effective Use of Percutaneous Cholecystostomy in High-Risk Surgical Patients

Techniques, Tube Management, and Results

Clark A. Davis, MD; Jeffrey Landercasper, MD; Lincoln H. Gundersen, MD; Pamela J. Lambert, RN

Arch Surg. 1999;134:727-732.

Hypothesis  Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) is an effective, safe treatment in patients with suspected acute cholecystitis and severe concomitant comorbidity.

Design  Retrospective medical record review from March 1989 to March 1998.

Setting  Referral community teaching hospital (450 beds) in rural Wisconsin.

Patients  Twenty-two consecutive patients underwent PC tube placement over a 10-year period. Twenty procedures were for acute cholecystitis (14 calculous, 6 acalculous) and 2 were for diagnostic dilemmas. Nineteen (86%) of 22 patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists class 4; 3 (14%) were class 3.

Interventions  Pigtail catheters (8F-10F) placed by means of ultrasound or computed tomographic localization, with or without fluoroscopic adjunct.

Main Outcome Measures  Thirty-day mortality, complications, clinical improvement as determined by fever and pain resolution, normalization of leukocytosis, further biliary procedures required, and outcome after drain removal.

Results  Twenty-two patients underwent PC for presumed acute cholecystitis based on ultrasound and clinical findings. All patients received antibiotics prior to PC for 24 or more hours. Thirty-day mortality was 36% (8 patients), reflecting severity of concomitant disease. Minor complications occurred in 3 of 22 patients. Clinical improvement occurred in 18 (82%) of 22 patients—15 (68%) within 48 hours. Follow-up of fourteen 30-day survivors is as follows: 7 (50%) had drains removed because the gallbladder was stone free, 4 (29%) had drains remaining due to persistent stones, 2 (14%) underwent cholecystectomy, and 1 (7%) awaits scheduled surgery. Only 1 (12.5%) of 8 patients developed biliary complications after drain removal, requiring endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography 9 months after drain removal. One patient required urgent cholecystectomy after failure to respond to PC. This patient died of a perioperative myocardial infarction.

Conclusions  Percutaneous cholecystostomy is an effective, safe treatment in patients with suspected acute cholecystitis and severe concomitant comorbidity. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is recommended as definitive treatment for patients whose risk for general anesthesia improves in follow-up. Drains can be safely removed once all gallstones are cleared. In patients with severe concomitant disease, drains can be left with a low incidence of complications if stones remain.


From the Departments of Surgery (Drs Davis and Landercasper and Ms Lambert) and Radiology (Dr Gundersen), Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse, Wis.


RELATED ARTICLE

Invited Critique: Effective Use of Percutaneous Cholecystostomy in High-Risk Surgical Patients
David L. Nahrwold
Arch Surg. 1999;134(7):732.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

US-guided Percutaneous Cholecystostomy: Features Predicting Culture-Positive Bile and Clinical Outcome
Sosna et al.
Radiology 2004;230:785-791.
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Pigtail catheter for the treatment of ascites associated with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
Abuzeid et al.
Hum Reprod 2003;18:370-373.
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Treatment of Acute Cholecystitis in Non-Critically Ill Patients at High Surgical Risk: Comparison of Clinical Outcomes After Gallbladder Aspiration and After Percutaneous Cholecystostomy
Chopra et al.
Am. J. Roentgenol. 2001;176:1025-1031.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  





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