title: Role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the early management of acute gallbladder disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated the role of laparoscopic surgery in the early management of acute gallbladder disease in a single large UK teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Details of all emergency admissions for acute gallbladder disease from January 2000 to December 2001 were identified and additional information from the hospital records was reviewed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and eighty-five patients with gallstone disease (243 acute biliary pain, 142 acute cholecystitis) and 15 with acalculous disease were identified. The conversion rate was higher during early laparoscopic surgery for acute calculous cholecystitis than in operations for acute biliary pain (19 versus 4 per cent; P = 0.002). In patients with acute calculous cholecystitis the conversion rate was significantly lower in operations within 48 h of admission (one of 26) than when surgery was delayed beyond 48 h (14 of 52) or subsequently carried out electively (seven of 21) (P = 0.014). Elective surgery for previous acute cholecystitis was associated with a higher conversion rate (seven of 21 patients) than elective surgery for biliary pain (three of 65) (P = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute calculous cholecystitis should be performed, where possible, within the first 48 h of admission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Surgical Sciences (Surgery), Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK.
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paterson-Brown
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000379:methods*; D041881:Cholecystitis, Acute / Q000601:surgery; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies