Ultrasonically and fluoroscopically guided therapeutic percutaneous catheter drainage of the gallbladder.
Percutaneous gallbladder drainage was performed in 16 poor surgical risk patients; 13 had acute cholecystitis, 1 had cholangitis and septicemia, 1 had undergone removal of a gallbladder calculus, and 1 had pancreatic carcinoma with bile duct occlusion. Catheterization and drainage of the gallbladder succeeded primarily in all patients. Catheter dislodgement occurred within 24 h in 1 patient without any side effects. One 87-year-old patient died 14 h after the insertion of the catheter from reasons unrelated to the drainage procedure. Percutaneous removal of gallbladder calculi failed in 3 patients, 2 of whom had been successfully treated for cholecystitis by catheter drainage. Percutaneous gallbladder drainage is a fast, low-risk, inexpensive procedure well suited for the treatment of acute, poor surgical risk patients.
Larssen
T B
TB
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Haukeland Hospital, University of Bergen, Norway.
Göthlin
J H
JH
Jensen
D
D
Arnesjö
B
B
Søreide
O
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002404:Catheterization; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000601:surgery*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014465:Ultrasonics