Emergency cholecystostomy and subsequent cholecystectomy for acute gallstone cholecystitis in the elderly

The morbidity and mortality rates associated with acute cholecystitis are higher in the elderly. This study reports the results of treatment of acute cholecystitis in the elderly with emergency ultrasonographically guided percutaneous cholecystostomy followed by elective cholecystectomy after endoscopic treatment of any common bile duct stones diagnosed by percutaneous cholangiography.

From January 1989 to December 1998, 92 patients aged over 70 years were treated for acute gallstone cholecystitis. A group of 84 patients with ultrasonographic signs of severe cholecystitis or an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of II to IV were submitted to ultrasonographically guided percutaneous cholecystostomy. Transcatheter cholangiography was performed in all patients and endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed before operation in patients with common bile duct stones. After resolution of the acute phase and treatment of any associated diseases, patients were submitted to cholecystectomy.

Cholecystostomy was performed successfully in 83 patients and permitted resolution of the acute attack in all after a mean period of 1.8 days. Cholangiography yielded a diagnosis of non-gallstone obstruction in one patient and common bile duct stones in 19 patients; preoperative endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction was performed in 18 patients. Elective cholecystectomy was then performed in 70 patients with no deaths and a morbidity rate of 24 per cent.

Combining emergency ultrasonographically guided percutaneous cholecystostomy, preoperative endoscopic treatment of common bile duct stones and subsequent elective cholecystectomy constitutes an optimal treatment regimen for acute gallstone cholecystitis in selected elderly patients with a mortality rate of zero in the authors' experience.