Chronic acalculous cholecystitis: difficulties in diagnosis

A review of 142 consecutive cholecystectomies done in an Army Community Hospital was carried out to evaluate the number of chronic acalculous gallbladders encountered and the means used to diagnose them. The study concluded that the percentage of chronic acalculous gallbladders was higher than is normally reported in the literature. Whether this represents a trend needs to be substantiated. Also, while no one test appeared superior to another, when coupled with a thorough history, a diagnosis was arrived at more readily. Furthermore, it appears that a profile could be developed to cull out patients more likely to be candidates for this entity.