Indications and timing of surgery for cholelithiasis associated with valvular heart disease

Twenty patients with cholelithiasis associated with valvular heart disease were studied to assess the need and the optimal time for cholecystectomy. Twelve patients (11 symptomatic and 1 asymptomatic patients) underwent cholecystectomy. The remaining patients were asymptomatic. The levels of the total bilirubin in 9 patients, and of LDH in 15, were higher than normal. In most of the patients, the serum transaminase levels were higher than normal, but in few cases, the levels were higher than 200 IU/l. These abnormal values, however, were not consistently observed in these patients. No clear association between the type and form of valvular heart disease was demonstrated. The type of prostheses used for valve replacement in these patients were ball, tilting disc and leaflet. No significant differences in efficacy were observed among different types of prostheses. The incidence of silent stones is high in patients with valvular heart disease and heart surgery often causes deterioration in patients with cholelithiasis. The recovery of the patients who underwent cholecystectomy before valve replacement were better than those who underwent cholecystectomy after heart surgery. In conclusion, therefore, patients showing any abnormal results in liver function tests should be assessed in detail by abdominal echography and should receive surgical treatment of biliary tract before heart surgery if necessary.