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.
Gilliland
T M
TM
Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington 98101.
Traverso
L W
LW
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