Two cases of acute cholecystitis in which percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA) was useful

We report 2 patients with acute cholecystitis for which percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA) was useful. In Case 1, the patient was a 75-year-old woman who experienced a sudden onset of back pain and upper abdominal pain at night. Abdominal ultrasound (US) showed enlargement of the gallbladder with thickening of the wall, a sonolucent layer, and a stone in the neck of the gallbladder, which led to a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated thickening of the gallbladder wall and 2 areas of low-intensity signal. The pain and fever persisted, for which we performed PTGBA, aspirating about 113 ml of infected bile. Subsequently, the pain and fever subsided, and abdominal US revealed a reduction in the enlargement of the gallbladder with the persistence of thickening of the wall. On the eighth day after PTGBA, open abdominal cholecystectomy was performed. In Case 2, the patient was a 56-year-old woman who had right hypochondriac pain after supper. The pain gradually increased in severity. Abdominal US showed enlargement of the gallbladder with a thickened wall, a sonolucent layer, and a gallstone in the neck of the gallbladder, which led to a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed enlargement of the gallbladder with no abnormalities in the common bile duct. After admission to hospital, the pain and fever persisted, for which we performed PTGBA, aspirating about 50 ml of infected bile. Subsequently, the pain and fever vanished. Abdominal US revealed a reduction in the enlargement of the gallbladder with the persistence of thickening of the wall. On the seventh day after PTGBA, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. PTGBA seems useful for early alleviation of the symptoms of acute cholecystitis because of low invasiveness and ease of performance.