OBJECTIVE

This seven-year, two-center retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to describe the demographic, clinical characteristics and surgical indications of patients managed with open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the pediatric age group, and determine these variables’ associations with patient outcomes.

Records of all patients less than 19 years old who underwent laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) and National Children’s Hospital (NCH) from January 2015 to December 2021 were reviewed. The gathered data were organized, described and analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistics.

A total of 32 patients underwent open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the two institutions. Majority were female (78.1%). The diagnoses included chronic calculous cholecystitis (62.5%), acute calculous cholecystitis (21.9%), choledocholithiasis (12.5%). One (3.1%) patient had empyema of the gallbladder. The 15 – 18 year age group made up 78.1%, with the rest (21.9%) from the 10 – 14 year age group. By BMI percentile, 62.5% were normal, 15.6% were overweight, and 12.5% were obese. Most patients across all conditions (96.9%) had no known hemolytic disorder. Underweight patients (9.4% of the cohort) had statistically higher lengths of stay [F(3,28) = 3.444, p = .030]. No significant associations were found between the categorical outcomes (discharged well, morbidity, mortality) and patient variables (age group, sex, BMI percentile, presence of co-morbidities, symptoms, indication for surgery, operation done).

In pediatric patients undergoing laparoscopic or open cholecystectomy, BMI percentile is inversely related to the length of hospital stay.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of micro-flow imaging (MFI) in evaluating blood flow characteristics and differential diagnosis of gallbladder polypoid lesions. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and ultrasound images of 73 patients with gallbladder polypoid lesions, including 24 patients with pathologically confirmed neoplastic polyps (n=24) and 49 with non-neoplastic polyps (n=49). All the patients underwent conventional ultrasound, MFI and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) before cholecystectomy. The blood flow characteristics of the lesions in color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and MFI were compared, and the consistency of the findings by these two modalities with those of CEUS were evaluated by weighted Kappa consistency test. The diagnostic performance of MFI for gallbladder polypoid lesions was assessed. RESULTS: There were significant differences between MFI and CDFI in the evaluation of blood flow characteristics of gallbladder polypoid lesions (χ²=37.684, P < 0.001). MFI showed better performance than CDFI in displaying the blood flow characteristics of the polyps. The consistency in the findings was 0.118 between CDFI and CEUS and 0.816 between MFI and CEUS. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MFI in distinguishing neoplastic polyps from non-neoplastic polyps were 75.00%, 93.88% and 87.67%, respectively. CONCLUSION MFI has a good consistency with CEUS in displaying the blood flow characteristics of gallbladder polypoid lesions and can accurately distinguish neoplastic polyps from non-neoplastic polyps, thus providing new ultrasound diagnostic evidence to support clinical decisions on optimal treatments of gallbladder polypoid lesions.
Contrast Media ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Gallbladder Diseases/diagnostic imaging* ; Humans ; Polyps/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies

Benign gallbladder diseases are common in surgery department,and the incidence rate is increasing in recent years.Currently,nonstandard treatment existed in the surgical management of benign gallbladder diseases in China.Based on relevant domestic and foreign literature,guidelines,and expert consensus,this consensus expounds on the diagnosis and surgical treatment of common benign gallbladder diseases such as gallstone,cholecystitis,gallbladder polypoid,gallbladder adenomyosis,gallbladder variation and deformity,complications after cholecystectomy.Further,recommendations related to diagnosis and treatment were presented to improve the standardization of surgical diagnosis and treatment of benign gallbladder diseases in China,so as to eliminate the clinical harm of gallbladder diseases and reduce the incidence rate of gallbladder cancer and prevent the occurrence.
Cholecystectomy ; Consensus ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Diseases/surgery* ; Gallbladder Neoplasms/surgery* ; Gallstones/surgery* ; Humans

Benign gallbladder diseases are common diseases in surgery,which are closely related to the occurrence of gallbladder cancer.Currently,nonstandard treatment exited in the surgical management of benign gallbladder diseases in China. Based on relevant domestic and foreign literature,guidelines,and expert consensus,consensus on the surgical management of benign gallbladder diseases(2021 edition) has been formulated. Further,recommendations related to diagnosis and treatment were presented to improve the standardization of surgical diagnosis and treatment of benign gallbladder diseases in China,so as to eliminate the clinical harm of gallbladder diseases and reduce the incidence rate of gallbladder cancer and prevent the occurrence. After the publication of the consensus,it has aroused heated discussion. This paper will interpret the hot issues.
China ; Consensus ; Gallbladder Diseases/surgery* ; Gallbladder Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans

Gallbladder Diseases ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Humans ; Polyps

Cholecystocolic fistula (CCF) is a rare and late complication of gallbladder disease. The cause of CCF is known to be peptic ulcer, gallbladder disease, malignant tumor, trauma, and postoperative complications. The proper treatment method is to perform cholecystectomy and to identify and alleviate the CCF. However, cholecystectomy is not always possible owing to technical difficulties and disease severity. CCF is difficult to diagnose preoperatively, and CCF operation without an accurate preoperative diagnosis can lead to a more complicated surgery and cause surgeons to face more difficult situations or to endanger patients' lives. We report a case of asymptomatic CCF successfully treated with laparoscopic surgery after accurate diagnosis before surgery.
Cholecystectomy ; Diagnosis ; Fistula ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Laparoscopy ; Methods ; Peptic Ulcer ; Postoperative Complications ; Surgeons

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the comet tail artifact on ultrasonography can be used to reliably diagnose benign gallbladder diseases. METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed the clinical findings, imaging findings, preoperative ultrasonographic diagnoses, and pathological diagnoses of 150 patients with comet tail artifacts who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with pathologic confirmation. The extent of the involved lesion was classified as localized or diffuse, depending on the degree of involvement and the anatomical section of the gallbladder that was involved. This study evaluated the differences in clinical and imaging findings among pathologic diagnoses. RESULTS: All gallbladder lesions exhibiting the comet tail artifact on ultrasound examination were confirmed as benign gallbladder diseases after cholecystectomy, including 71 cases of adenomyomatosis (47.3%), 74 cases of chronic cholecystitis (49.3%), two cases of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (1.3%), and three cases of cholesterolosis (2.0%); there were two cases of coexistent chronic cholecystitis and low-grade dysplasia. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the clinical and ultrasonographic findings, with the exception of gallstones (P=0.007), among the four diseases. There were no significant differences in the average length, thickness, or number of comet tail artifacts among the four diagnoses. No malignancies were detected in any of the 150 thickened gallbladder lesions. CONCLUSION: The ultrasonographic finding of the comet tail artifact in patients with thickened gallbladder lesions is associated with the presence of benign gallbladder diseases, and can be considered a reliable sign of benign gallbladder disease.
Artifacts ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis ; Diagnosis ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Gallbladder ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tail ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The aims of this case series study were to review the 10 patients who were diagnosed with left-sided gallbladder and analyze their anatomic variations in the bile duct, portal vein, and hepatic vessels. METHODS: In this case series study, 10 patients with left-sided gallbladder were retrospectively analyzed at 2 tertiary referral centers between April 2004 and May 2019. RESULTS: Mean age was 61.1 years; there were 7 women and 3 men. Ten patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis or symptomatic gallbladder stone. The mean operation time was 77.2 minutes. Three ports were used in laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 3.5 days, and there were no cases of surgery-related morbidity. Two patients had type 1 bile duct and 3 had type 3 bile duct (2 type 3B and 1 type 3A). The right posterior portal vein as the first branch of the main portal vein was observed in all patients. Segment IV branches of the left portal vein crossing over to the segment VIII territory were observed in 7 of the 10 patients. CONCLUSION: Although left-sided gallbladder is a very rare disease, it is possible to diagnose it preoperatively and perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy safely by adjusting port position. The common important features of left-sided gallbladder include distribution of the left portal vein crossing over to the right side of the liver and increased size of the left portal vein. These variations may have important clinical implications in the management of hepatic resection including donor hepatectomy.
Anatomic Variation ; Bile Ducts ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Crossing Over, Genetic ; Female ; Gallbladder ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Liver ; Male ; Portal Vein ; Rare Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: Single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) is a surgical method to treat gallbladder disease designed to reduce postoperative pain and improve cosmetic results. However, pure SILC (pSILC) has several inherent limitations. In this study, we report the surgical outcomes of SILC with needlescopic grasper (nSILC) compared with those of pSILC and conventional three-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (TPLC).METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 103 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for benign gallbladder disease in our hospital between January 2013 and January 2015. Among them, 33 patients underwent pSILC, 35 underwent nSILC, and 35 underwent TPLC. We collected demographic characteristics and operative data to analyze outcomes between groups.RESULTS: All procedures were done by laparoscopy and the gallbladder of each patient was completely removed. Women and younger patients were more to undergo SILC than TPLC. Analysis showed that the operation time of the nSILC group was longer than that of the TPLC group, but shorter than that of the pSILC group (skin to skin operation time [pSILC: 65.2±19.1 min, nSILC: 49.7±12.9 min, and TPLC: 43.4±14.7 min, p<0.001], and major procedure time [pSILC: 42.2±18.7 min, nSILC: 25.9±8.9 min, and TPLC: 23.4±12.7 min, p<0.001]). There were no significant differences between the groups for patient visual analogue scale score, length of hospital stay, or intraoperative blood loss.CONCLUSION: nSILC is feasible surgical method in patients with benign gallbladder disease compared to TPLC, and that is an effective procedure to overcome the disadvantage of pSILC.
Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Female ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Methods ; Pain, Postoperative ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin

This study compared the surgical outcomes of single-incision with needlescopic grasper (nSILC) versus three-port (TPLC) versus pure single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomies (pSILC). The present study showed similar surgical outcomes between the pSILC and nSILC procedures. However, the operative time for the nSILC group was longer than that for the TPLC group but shorter than that for the pSILC group. Therefore, nSILC is a feasible surgical procedure for patients with benign gallbladder disease compared to TPLC and an effective approach to overcome the limitations of pSILC.
Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Humans ; Operative Time