Objective: Acute pancreatitis is a nonbacterial inflammation that occurs as a result of the pancreatic gland being released into the interstitial area with the activation of its own enzymes and digesting its own tissue. Gallstones are the most common cause of acute pancreatitis. Cholecystectomy is the gold standard in the treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) to prevent complications and recurrences. The timing of cholecystectomy is still controversial. In this study, we aimed to compare the early and late results of patients who were hospitalized in our clinic with the diagnosis of mild and moderate ABP and underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).
Methods:The files of 45 patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of ABP and underwent LC were reviewed retrospectively. Of the patients, 35 (77.8%) were females and 10 (22.2%) were males. Twenty-two patients who underwent LC after completion of ABP treatment were named Group 1, and patients who were given a 2-month interval after ABP treatment and underwent LC afterward were named Group 2.Results: There were 22 patients in Group 1 and 23 patients in Group 2, It consisted of a total of 45 patients. The average age of the patients was 56 (26-93) years. The average hospital length of stay was 13.18 days in Group 1 and 8.3 days in Group 2. The mean duration of LC was 57.8 min in Group 1 patients, 45.7 min in Group 2, and a significant difference was found (p<0.01). Postoperative complications were seen in 4 (18.2%) patients in Group 1 and 4 (17.4%) patients in Group 2. Acute pancreatitis was seen again in 1 (4.5%) patient in Group 1 and 2 (8.7%) patients in Group 2.
Conclusion:In the treatment of ABP, although the duration of LC performed in the early period was prolonged, there was no difference in postoperative hospital stay and complications. We believe that early LC should be performed to prevent recurrences and complications that may develop after ABP attacks.