Acute hemorrhagic cholecystitis with gallbladder rupture and massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage

Acute hemorrhagic cholecystitis is a rare, life-threatening condition that can be further complicated by perforation of the gallbladder. We describe a patient with clinical and radiologic findings of acute cholecystitis with a gallbladder rupture and massive intra-abdominal bleeding. Our patient is a 67-year-old male who presented with an ischemic stroke and was treated with early tissue plasminogen activator. His hospital course was complicated by a fall requiring posterior spinal fusion surgery. He recovered well, but several days later developed subxiphoid and right upper quadrant pain and an episode of hemobilia and melena. A computed tomography scan revealed an inflamed, distended gallbladder with indistinct margins and a large hematoma in the gallbladder fossa extending to the right paracolic gutter. The patient also developed hemodynamic instability concerning for hemorrhagic shock. He underwent an emergent laparoscopic converted to open subtotal fenestrating cholecystectomy with abdominal washout for management of his acute hemorrhagic cholecystitis with massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Prompt recognition of this lethal condition in high-risk patients is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Fístula colecistocutánea espontánea / Spontaneous cholecystocutaneous fistula

Background: Spontaneous cholecystocutaneous fistula is a rare complication of acute cholecystitis. The incidence has decreased due to prompt and early surgical management of patients with acute cholecystitis. Case report: We report a 64 years old woman consulting for erythematous soft and non-tender mass in right flank. Ultrasound revealed the cholecystocutaneous fistula. The fistulous tract and the gallbladder were excised from average laparotomy.

Introducción: La fístula colecistocutánea es una rara complicación de la colecistitis aguda. La incidencia de esta patología ha disminuido debido al abordaje quirúrgico precoz de los pacientes con colecistitis aguda. Caso clínico: Reportamos el caso de una mujer de 64 años de edad que consulta por un nódulo con signos inflamatorios en el flanco derecho. La fístula fue diagnosticada mediante ecografía. La fístula y la vesícula fueron extirpadas mediante una laparotomía media.

Bedside Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Transgastric Gallbladder Aspiration and Lavage in a High-risk Surgical Case Due to Acute Cholecystitis Accompanied by Multiorgan Failure / 대한소화기학회지

Cholangitis and cholecystitis are intra-abdominal infections that show poor prognosis upon progression to sepsis and multiorgan failure. Administration of antibiotics with high antimicrobial susceptibility and removal of infected bile at the initial treatment are important. After undergoing ERCP for diagnostic purposes, a 58-year-old man developed acute cholangitis and cholecystitis accompanied by rhabdomyolysis, multi-organ failure, and severe sepsis. Broad-spectrum antibiotics with bedside endoscopic nasobiliary drainage were administered, but clinical symptoms did not improve. Therefore, bedside EUS-guided transgastric gallbladder aspiration and lavage was performed, resulting in successful treatment of the patient. We report the above described case along with a discussion of relevant literature.

Usefulness of Bile Cultures and Predictive Factors for Bacteriobilia in Percutaneous Cholecystostomy in Patients with Acute Cholecystitis / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: Bile cultures have been used to diagnose and predict the prognosis of acute cholecystitis (AC). As the standard treatment for AC has changed, the appropriate timing and clinical usefulness of bile cultures should be reevaluated. We analyzed the incidence of positive bile cultures in cholecystostomy and cholecystectomy, and attempted to see if a positive bile culture is related to the laboratory and imaging parameters and postoperative infections. METHODS: Included in the study were 86 patients with AC who underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) and then laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We performed hematologic, biochemical, and radiological analyses at admission and bile cultures with each surgical procedure. The patients were followed for two months for postoperative infections. RESULTS: Bile cultures were positive in 40.7% of the patients at PC, significantly higher than at LC (12.8%). The group with positive cultures showed a higher median age and elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin (TB) than the group with negative cultures. Univariate analysis identified three preoperative factors as predictors of positive bile cultures: age (>55 yr), ALP (>100 IU/L) and TB (>1.2 mg/dL). Infectious complications after LC were mild and the incidence of postoperative infections was not different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of bile cultures is low for diagnosing AC, and the adequate timing of bile cultures is at PC, rather than LC. An old age and factors (ALP & TB) manifesting an advanced stage of bile stasis are associated with positive bile cultures. No correlation was found between positive bile cultures and postoperative infections.

Usefulness of Bile Cultures and Predictive Factors for Bacteriobilia in Percutaneous Cholecystostomy in Patients with Acute Cholecystitis / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: Bile cultures have been used to diagnose and predict the prognosis of acute cholecystitis (AC). As the standard treatment for AC has changed, the appropriate timing and clinical usefulness of bile cultures should be reevaluated. We analyzed the incidence of positive bile cultures in cholecystostomy and cholecystectomy, and attempted to see if a positive bile culture is related to the laboratory and imaging parameters and postoperative infections. METHODS: Included in the study were 86 patients with AC who underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) and then laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We performed hematologic, biochemical, and radiological analyses at admission and bile cultures with each surgical procedure. The patients were followed for two months for postoperative infections. RESULTS: Bile cultures were positive in 40.7% of the patients at PC, significantly higher than at LC (12.8%). The group with positive cultures showed a higher median age and elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin (TB) than the group with negative cultures. Univariate analysis identified three preoperative factors as predictors of positive bile cultures: age (>55 yr), ALP (>100 IU/L) and TB (>1.2 mg/dL). Infectious complications after LC were mild and the incidence of postoperative infections was not different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of bile cultures is low for diagnosing AC, and the adequate timing of bile cultures is at PC, rather than LC. An old age and factors (ALP & TB) manifesting an advanced stage of bile stasis are associated with positive bile cultures. No correlation was found between positive bile cultures and postoperative infections.

Role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the management of acute cholecystitis

To evaluate the safe technique of surgery in patients with acute cholecystitis and to highlight the better method in which patient can be prevented from complications. A descriptive study. This study was conducted at Larkana, Sindh from February 2002 to August 2004. A total of 504 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Out of these, 398 patients were treated by elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 106 patients underwent emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystectitis. Among 106 patients, females were double [73.1%] than males and most of these patients were received within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. In 56 [52.83%] patients, ultrasound revealed odematous gall bladder, mucocele, empyma, contracted, perforated and gangrenous gall bladder. Per-operative complication was encountered in 71 [66.98%] patients including bleeding, minor injury to common bile duct [CBD] and liver, adhesions of gall bladder with omentum, stomach, colon, CBD, and distorted anatomy of Calot's triangle. The minimum time taken during the procedure was 50 minutes. In 5 [4.72%] patients, the laparoscopic procedure was converted to open and reasons for conversion were bleeding, tight, dense adhesions and perforated gallbladder leading to biliary peritonitis. Emergency cholecystectomy is reliable and safe modality in the management of acute cholecystitis. Certain factors are responsible for the conversion, which include delayed arrival of patient, patients with perforated gall bladder, bleeding and adhesions. Hence, emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy seems to be safe, cost effective, and timely surgery with modern conception. This timely surgery prevents the complications associated with acute cholecystitis

Conversión en colecistectomía laparoscópica. Experiencia hospital San Martín de Quillota, 8 años después / Conversion in laparascopic cholecystectomy. Experience of hospital San Martín de Quillota, 8 years later

La colecistectomía laparoscópica se realiza en nuestro país 1990 y en el Hospital San Martín de Quillota desde 1992. Se realizó un estudio sobre las causas de conversión de colecistectomía laparoscópica a colecistectomía clásica, transcurrido un tiempo de aprendizaje por el staff de cirujanos, comparando las causas de conversión con un estudio previo realizado en el Hospital San Martín de Quillota entre 1992-1995. Se evaluaron las cirugías efectuadas entre julio del 2000 hasta marzo 2002, sumando 799 casos, de los cuales 45 debieron ser convertidos. Se evaluaron las variables edad, sexo, antecedentes mórbidos, clínica, ecografía, diagnóstico pre y post operatorio, tiempo operatorio, anatomía patológica, complicaciones posteriores y las causas de la conversión. En nuestro estudio del total de cirugías, un 5,6 por ciento de los casos debieron ser convertidos, en comparación con el índice de conversión de un 7,8 por ciento obtenido en el mismo centro hace 8 años. De las cuasas de conversión se observó una variación con respecto al estudio preliminar. En este último, la principal causa de conversión fue la dificultad técnica (29,2 por ciento), en cambio en el estudio actual fue el plastrón vesicular (37 por ciento de los casos). Nuestros resultados, al igual como los de otros autores, reflejan la transición entre la dificultad técnica y el hallazgo de plastrón como la primera causa de conversión, una vez transcurrido la curva de aprendizaje de esta técnica.