title: Decision-making process in long term acute cholecystitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate that the categorization of different therapeutic options is essential for the decision-making applied to clinical management.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper compares the usefulness of percutaneous echo-guided cholecystostomy as the first therapeutic option in acute long-term cholecystitis versus the exclusive surgical or clinical management.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have analyzed the usefulness of different therapeutic options in a case of long term acute cholecystitis and we have obtained the following results: isolated intravenous antibiotic therapy (0.76), surgery (0.73) and echo-guided cholecystostomy (0.93). This last option has provided good clinical-radiological results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decision trees are a good methodological option as support of surgical and non surgical therapeutic procedures.
authors.affiliation: General Surgery Department, Universitary Miguel Servet Hospital, Saragosa, Spain. ecordoba@arrakis.es
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Córdoba Díaz de Laspra
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ceballos Alonso
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Artigas Martín
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Artal Cortés
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: del Río Marco
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000628:therapy*; D002767:Cholecystostomy; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors