Early Versus Delayed Surgery for Acute Cholecystitis

Abstract

There are those who advocate traditional management for patients with acute cholecystitis (initial conservative treatment followed two to three months later by elective cholecystectomy) and those who favor a more aggressive surgical approach (early cholecystectomy, within 7 days of admission). This retrospective study was designed to see which is more efficient. Such variables as difficulty of operation, incidence of complications, frequency of diagnostic error, and time spent in the hospital were studied in 100 patients, 46 of whom had early and 54 delayed cholecystectomy. No significant differences were found in the two groups in postoperative mortality or morbidity, diagnostic error, or technical difficulty. The most striking difference was found in time spent in the hospital. The total hospital stay was 8.5 days higher in the traditionally delayed surgery group than in the early surgery group; thus it is probably more desirable to have a surgeon, thoroughly familiar with the operation, perform early cholecystectomy.SA Al-Khuwaitir, Early Versus Delayed Surgery for Acute Cholecystitis. 1985; 5(2): 63-66