Clinical Experience of Postoperative Acute Cholecystitis

Junichiro Taki, Yoshiyuki Nakajima, Masakazu Segawa, Michiyoshi Hisanaga, Hiroya Yabuuchi, Yukio Aomatus, Kiyoshi Kido, Masato Horikawa, Atsushi Yoshimura, Hiroshige Nakano

First Department of Surgery, Nara Medical University

We found postoperative acute cholecystitis in eight (2.1%) of 380 patients who underwent abdominal surgery during 1989. All these patients had been operated on for gastric cancer (8.7% of 92 patients). The purpose of the present study was to analyze these patients from the aspects of diagnosis and treatment. The prognosis of postoperative acute cholecystitis is considered poor because of the difficulty of early diagnosis. Therefore, we tried to perform an ultrasonic examination for obtaining early diagnosis on the patients who developed high fever and right hypochondralgia after the operation. As a result, we were able to treat conservatively the patients who had acquired acute cholecystitis within 8 days after surgery without showing any other serious complication. On the other hand, in patients with a complication such as leakage, and in whom acute cholecystitis had occurred more than 10 days after the operation, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage, but not additional surgical treatment, was needed for cure. Early diagnosis by ultrasonic examiantion might improve the prognosis of postoperative acute cholecystitis.

Key words
postoperative acute cholecystitis, ultrasonic examination, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage

Reprint requests
Junichiro Taki First Department of Surgery, Nara Medical University
840 Shijocho, Kashihara, 634 JAPAN

Accepted
January 16, 1991

To read the PDF file you will need Abobe Reader installed on your computer.