title: [The timing of hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis complicated with acute cholangitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the optimal timing of hepatectomy for intrahepatic lithiasis complicated with acute cholangitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-six patients with hepatolithiasis who had a history of acute cholangitis and underwent hepatectomy were reviewed retrospectively. According to the period between the surgery and last attack of acute cholangitis, 126 patients were divided into 3 groups: > 3 months (group A, n = 73), 1 approximately 3 months (group B, n = 28), < 1 month (group C, n = 25). The operation time, blood loss, hospital stay, postoperative complications and stone residual rate were compared among the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intraoperative blood loss of C group was (644.0 +/- 625.7) ml, which was significantly higher than those of A and B group [(409.2 +/- 250.7) ml and (423.2 +/- 237.1) ml, respectively]. The numbers of patients who needed transfusion and the amount of blood transfusion in group C were also higher than those of group A and B. The incidence rate of complications, residual stone in group C were all markedly higher than those of group A and B. The period of hospital stay in group C was much longer than that in group A and B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The optimal timing of hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis complicated with acute cholangitis is at least one month after subsidence of cholangitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Shao-qiang
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li-jian
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Bao-gang
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Dong-ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ming-de
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lü
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D002761:Cholangitis / Q000150:complications*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors