title: Management of cholelithiasis in Italian children: a national multicenter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the management of Italian children with cholelithiasis observed at Pediatric and Surgical Departments linked to Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred-eighty children (90 males, median age at diagnosis 7.3 years; range, 0-18 years) with echographic evidence of cholelithiasis were enrolled in the study; the data were collected by an anonymous questionnaire sent to participating centers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred seventeen patients were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid; in 8 children dissolution of gallstones was observed, but the cholelithiasis recurred in 3 of them. Sixty-five percent of symptomatic children treated became asymptomatic. Sixty-four patients were treated with cholecystectomy and in only 2 cases a postoperative complication was reported. Thirty-four children received no treatment and were followed with clinical and echographic controls; in no case the development of complications was reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The therapeutic strategies were extremely heterogeneous. Ursodeoxycholic acid was ineffective in dissolution of gallstones but it had a positive effect on the symptoms. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was confirmed to be an efficacy and safe treatment for pediatric gallstones.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Liver Unit, Department of Pediatrics, University Federico II of Naples, Via S. Pansini 5, Naples 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Della Corte
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Falchetti
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nebbia
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calacoci
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.forename: Ruggiero
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Francavilla
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcellini
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vajro
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iorio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid