title: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Cause of conversions in 1,300 patients and analysis of risk factors.
abstract: In 1,300 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) 56 patients (4.3%) required conversion to open cholecystectomy (OC); 41 (73%) of the conversions were elective, whereas 15 (27%) were enforced. The causes of the 56 conversions are described and analyzed. Logistic regression analysis of 23 parameters identified the following data as associated with a higher risk for conversion: pain or rigidity in the right upper abdomen (P < 0.01), thickening of the gallbladder wall on preoperative ultrasound (P < 0.05), intraoperatively found dense adhesions to the gallbladder or in Calot's triangle (P < 0.001), and intraoperatively found acute inflammation of the gallbladder (P < 0.01). Clinical findings of an acute cholecystitis associated with intraoperative dense scarring in Calot's triangle were the best factors predicting conversion from LC to OC. As a result of the study we preoperatively select our patients for either LC or OC, and a difficult case is performed by a more experienced surgeon to keep conversion rate and complications low.
authors.affiliation: Second Surgical Unit, AKH Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schrenk
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Woisetschläger
authors.forename: W U
authors.initials: WU
authors.lastname: Wayand
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors