Cholecystectomy provides long-term symptom relief in patients with acalculous gallbladders.
Elective cholecystectomy was performed in 60 patients with biliary colic and acalculous gallbladders during a 5-year period. Gallbladder wall disease was significantly more common (p less than 0.01) in patients with acalculous gallbladders than in a similar symptomatic group with calculous gallbladders. Thirty-four of 43 patients (77%) available for long-term follow-up reported complete symptom relief after cholecystectomy. Preoperative ultrasonography, biliary scintigraphy, oral cholecystography, upper gastrointestinal series, and pathologic features of the gallbladder were equivocal in predicting long-term symptom relief. In patients with acalculous biliary colic, the best predictor of complete symptom relief is an adequate history of true biliary colic.
Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington 98101.
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D003085:Colic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000473:pathology; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography