Effect of surgical timing on postoperative outcomes in patients with acute cholecystitis after delayed percutaneous...

To date, the optimal timing for percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD), particularly for patients who have missed the optimal window for emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) (within 72 hours of symptom onset) has not been determined.

To study the effects of LC timing on outcomes of grade II/III acute cholecystitis (AC) in patients with delayed PTGBD.

Data of patients diagnosed with Tokyo Guidelines 2018 grade II or III AC who underwent delayed PTGBD followed by LC at a single hospital between 2018 and 2022 were retrospectively studied. According to the interval between gallbladder drainage and cholecystectomy, the patients were divided into early and delayed LC groups. Outcomes including surgery time, postoperative complications and hospital stay, and patient satisfaction were analyzed and compared between the two groups using t- and χ ² tests.

There were no significant differences between the two groups in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative abdominal drainage tube placement time, pain index, or total disease duration (all P > 0.05). Compared with those of the early LC group, the delayed group showed significant decreases in the length of procedure (surgery time), conversion rate to open surgery, degree of adhesions, surgical complications, postoperative hospital stay, and total treatment costs, and increased patient satisfaction despite a longer interval before PTGBD (all P < 0.05).

For patients with grade II/III AC with delayed PTGBD, LC should be performed 2 weeks after PTGBD to decrease postoperative complications and hospital stays and improve patient satisfaction.