title: Definitive surgical treatment for cholelithiasis in selected patients with liver cirrhosis.
abstract: To determine whether definitive surgery such as cholecysectomy or extraction of bile duct stones is appropriate in cirrhotic patients the results of definitive surgery have been reviewed retrospectively in a group of 112 cirrhotic patients with cholelithiasis. Eighty-seven of these patients underwent definitive surgery for gallstones and the remaining 25 were treated conservatively. Child's criteria were applied to each patient. Patients with Child's grade A disease had fewer emergency procedures, operative blood loss and transfusion were less and they had a shorter hospital stay compared with patients with grades B and C. There were 4 deaths after definitive surgery for emergency conditions and these were all in Child's grade C. Of the 83 survivors after definitive procedures 78 patients (93.9%) were still alive 52.8 months later without any biliary tract symptoms. Of the 25 patients undergoing conservative treatment 2 were Child's B and 23 were Child's C grade. We suggest that definitive surgery can be carried out safely, in Child's A and B cirrhotic patients, either electively or as an emergency. However, a more conservative approach is advisable in Child C patients with acute conditions and definitive surgery is recommended as an elective procedure after the liver function has improved.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome