PURPOSE: Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis_(XGC) is an unusual and destructive inflammatory process of the gallbladder and it's characterized by severe proliferative fibrosis. XGC usually presents with features of chronic cholecystitis or acute cholecystitis, yet clinically, radiologically and macroscopically, XGC may be difficult to differentiate from gallbladder cancer. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the radiologic features of XGC and their correlation with the clinical, pathologic and surgical findings. METHODS: We performed retrospective analysis on 14 cases of XGCs that were operated on between March 1999 and December 2005. The clinical features, preoperative radiologic findings, operative findings and postoperative courses were reviewed. RESULTS: Fourteen cases of XGC were found among 1451 cases of cholecystectomy (0.96%). Mirizzi's syndrome was observed in 35.7% of the patients. Cholelithiasis and a thickened gallbladder wall were frequent findings. The most characteristic CT finding was hypodense intramural nodule like microabscess, and this was seen in 42.8% of the patients. The most characteristic sonographic finding was the presence of hypoechoic nodule in the gallbladder wall, and this was seen in 55.5% of the patients. 9 patients underwent open cholecystectomy including one case of T-tube choledocholithotomy. Four of five patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy required conversion to open surgery. A malignant lesion was suspected preoperatively in two cases, and both underwent frozen biopsy during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Although the preoperative diagnosis of XGC is difficult, the presence of hypodense intramural nodule on CT or hypoechoic nodule in the gallbladder wall on sonography is highly suggestive of XGC. As XGC may resemble malignancy, differentiation is essential, via intraoperative frozen biopsy to deliver the optimal surgical treatment.
Biopsy ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis* ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Cholelithiasis ; Conversion to Open Surgery ; Diagnosis ; Fibrosis ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Humans ; Mirizzi Syndrome ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative and granulomatous disease, characterized by the formation of abscess, draining sinuses, abundant granulation, and dense fibrous tissue. Actinomycosis of the gallbladder is extremely rare. We report a case of an 56-years old man who abruptly presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Abdominal CT showed that the gallbladder had 2 cm sized stone and an edematous thick wall. Our preoperative diagnosis was acute calculous cholecystitis. After the management of acute cholecystitis, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed but converted to open surgery due to severe adhesion to liver and greater omentum. Partial cholecystectomy was performed. Histologic section of the gallbladder showed sulfur granule with gram-positive branching bacilli compatible with actinomyces. After cholecystectomy, the patient received intravenous penicillin G for 2 weeks, followed by oral penicillin for 3 months.
Actinomycosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis, Acute/*diagnosis/surgery ; Gallbladder Diseases/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Penicillins/administration & dosage ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard treatment for acute cholecystitis. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is an alternative treatment to resolve acute inflammation in patients with severe comorbidities. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy after percutaneous cholecystostomy for the patients with acute cholecystitis. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in patients who underwent cholecystectomy after percutaneous cholecystostomy from January 2010 through November 2014. Seventy-four patients were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups by the operation timing. Group I patients underwent cholecystectomy within 10 days after percutaneous cholecystostomy (n=30) and group II patients underwent cholecystectomy at more than 10 days after percutaneous cholecystostomy (n=44). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between groups in conversion rate to open surgery, operation time, perioperative complications rate, and days of hospital stay after operation. However, complications related to cholecystostomy such as catheter dislodgement occurred significantly more often in group II than group I (group I:group II=0%:18.2%; p=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy after percutaneous cholecystostomy did not influence postoperative outcomes. However, late surgery caused more complications related to cholecystostomy than early surgery. Therefore, early laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered over late surgery after percutaneous cholecystostomy insertion.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic/adverse effects ; Cholecystitis, Acute/*diagnosis/surgery ; Cholecystostomy ; Female ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has replaced open cholecystectomy (OC) for the treatment of gallbladder disease. However certain cases still require conversion to open procedures. Identifying these patients at the risk of conversion remains difficult. This study evaluated risk factors that may predict conversion from a laparoscopic to an open procedure. METHODS: From January 1994 to December 2004, a total of 582 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed at Seoul Medical Center. A retrospective analyses of clinical parameters including patient demographics, clinical histories, laboratory data, ultrasound results, intraoperative details and postoperative pathologic findings were performed. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (5.2%) had their cholecystectomies converted to an open procedure. Causes for conversion were inability to correctly identify the anatomy of surgical field due to adhesion and inflammation (56.7%), bile duct injury (13.3%), bleeding (13.3%) and others (16.7%). Univariate analysis showed that ASA (the classification of American Society of Anesthesiologists, p = 0.034), previous abdominal operation history (p = 0.008), RUQ tenderness(right upper quadrant tenderness, p = 0.002), acute cholecystitis (p < 0.001) and time elapsing between diagnosis and operation (p = 0.013) to be risk factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that acute cholecystitis (4.2 greater odds ratio [OR] of conversion, p = 0.002) and previous abdominal operation history (3.6 greater odds ratio [OR] of conversion, p = 0.003) were positive independent predictive factors for conversion to open cholecystectomy. CONCLUSION: Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and beneficial procedure in the management of patients with gallbladder disease, there are still many chances of conversion of laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy. In this study, patients with acute cholecystitis and previous abdominal operation histories were more likely to require conversion to an open procedure. These two positive independent predictive factors can help operators to make early decision and to counsel patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with regards to the posibility of conversion to an open procedure.
Bile Ducts ; Cholecystectomy* ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Classification ; Conversion to Open Surgery ; Demography ; Diagnosis ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Ultrasonography

Gallbladder tuberculosis is an extremely rare disease that is rarely reported in the literature. Arriving at the correct diagnosis of gallbladder tuberculosis is difficult, and it is usually made by histopathologic examination after cholecystectomy. However, due to the low sensitivity of acid-fast stain and culture result, diagnosing gallbladder tuberculosis is still demanding even after tissue acquisition. To overcome this problem, tuberculosis-polymerase chain reaction (TB-PCR) is performed on the resected specimen, which has high sensitivity and specificity. A 70-year-old female who had previously undergone total gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer was admitted with right upper quadrant pain. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed acute cholecystitis without gallstones or sludge. She underwent cholecystectomy and the histopathologic finding of the specimen showed chronic active cholecystitis without gallstones or sludge. Because she was suspected to have pulmonary tuberculosis, TB-PCR was also performed on the resected gallbladder. TB-PCR showed positive reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and we could diagnose it as gallbladder tuberculosis. Herein, we present a case of gallbladder tuberculosis diagnosed by TB-PCR from resected gallbladder.
Aged ; Antitubercular Agents/therapeutic use ; Cholecystitis, Acute/*diagnosis/surgery/ultrasonography ; DNA, Bacterial/analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics/isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology

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.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacterial Infections/*diagnosis ; Bile/*microbiology ; *Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic/methods ; Cholecystitis, Acute/complications/*surgery ; *Cholecystostomy/methods ; Culture Techniques ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/*diagnosis ; Predictive Value of Tests

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.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacterial Infections/*diagnosis ; Bile/*microbiology ; *Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic/methods ; Cholecystitis, Acute/complications/*surgery ; *Cholecystostomy/methods ; Culture Techniques ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/*diagnosis ; Predictive Value of Tests