Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a safe and effective method in treating acute cholecystitis

ABSTRACT

In a series of 230 cases, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 18 patients having the clinical picture of acute cholecystitis, 4 cases were non-calcular by preoperative sonar which revealed thick edematous wall of the gallbladder in 13 patients. All patients were scheduled for operation 72 hours or less from the attack. There was a significant discrepancy between the clinical picture and the laparoscopic finding of the gallbladder. The average operative time was 105 minutes. Dissection of the gallbladder was done by "fundus first" method in 3 cases. The hospital stay ranged from 18 to 48 hours. Two cases were converted to open surgery because of severe inflammation obscuring the anatomy. No mortality or significant morbidity were reported. It was concluded that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and effective method in treating patients with acute cholecystitis and these patients should not be denied the benefits of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in centers with appropriate experience