Efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acalculous gallbladder disease: long-term follow-up. (1/30)

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine the efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in symptomatic patients with ultrasound negative and abnormal gallbladder ejection fractions; Patients with gallbladder ejection fractions less than 35% on hepatobiliary scan were offered laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: Between January 1995 and January 2001, 1564 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at our institution: 256 were confirmed to have acalculous gallbladder disease by pathology report and reconfirmation of abnormal hepatobiliary scan data. A 30-day postoperative follow-up was obtained by retrospective medical record review. For this study, we contacted all 256 patients by mail questionnaire and followed up on nonresponders with telephone interviews; we also reviewed hospital records to verify preoperative symptom patterns. The survey was completed by 154 patients (60%): 48 (31%) by mail and 106 (69%) by telephone interviews. The study included 115 (75%) female and 39 (25%) male patients, and the average age was 42 years (range, 13 to 95). All hepatobiliary laboratory parameters were normal pre- and postoperatively. The survey was completed in December 2001, 1 to 5 years postoperatively (mean 3 years). RESULTS: Preoperatively, 142 patients (92%) had right upper quadrant pain, 114 (74%) had nausea, 88 (57%) had vomiting, 120 (73%) had heartburn, and 118 (77%) had food intolerance. In a 30-day postoperative period, these numbers had reduced to 48 (37%), 14 (90%), 8 (5%), 22 (14%), and 34 (22%), respectively. had laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and 95% stated that they would recommend laparoscopic cholecystectomy to other patients. CONCLUSION: This study shows that patients with acalculous gallbladder disease benefit from laparoscopic cholecystectomy.  (+info)

Constancy and variability of gallbladder ejection fraction: impact on diagnosis and therapy. (2/30)

The main objective of this study was to test the constancy and variability of gallbladder (GB) ejection fraction (EF) in long-term studies to (a) determine whether EF ever becomes normal once it is low, (b) determine how long it takes for the EF to become abnormal once it is found to be normal, (c) explore the cause of low EF, and (d) define objective parameters for biliary and nonbiliary abdominal pain. METHODS: Fifty-two patients (42 women, 10 men) who underwent quantitative cholescintigraphy twice (total studies, 104), over a mean period of 38.54 mo between studies, were chosen for retrospective analysis. They were divided into the following groups: control (n = 13; nonbiliary abdominal pain), chronic acalculous cholecystitis (CAC) (n = 27; biliary abdominal pain), chronic calculous cholecystitis (CCC) (n = 6; biliary abdominal pain), and opioid (n = 6; nonbiliary abdominal pain). The last group had received an opioid before cholecystokinin-8 (CCK-8) infusion in one study but not in the other study. A GBEF value of > or =35% was considered normal with a 3-min infusion and > or =50% as normal with a 10-min infusion of CCK-8. RESULTS: The mean GBEF value was reproducible between the 2 sequential studies in the control group (66.0% +/- 20.5% vs. 73.9% +/- 17.7%), CAC group (24.4% +/- 22.3% vs. 16.9% +/- 10.9%), and CCC group (20.8% +/- 20.9% vs. 27.5% +/- 34.5%) but not in the opioid group (14.8% +/- 14.6% vs. 56.5% +/- 31.7%). The severity of GBEF reduction in CAC increased with time: 7.2% +/- 8.1% within 12 mo, 16.1% +/- 14.9% in 13-47 mo, and 23.5% +/- 21.3% in 48-168 mo. None of the 27 patients with CAC developed a gallstone as detected by ultrasound during the study period. In 5 patients with CAC, a mean period of 52.6 +/- 28.9 mo was required for conversion from normal to a low EF. CCK-induced cystic duct spasm is the etiology for low EF in both CAC and CCC. CONCLUSION: Normal and low GBEF values are reproducible in long-term studies. Once the EF reaches a low value, it does not return to normal, and a normal value requires many years to become abnormal. CCK-induced cystic duct spasm is the cause of low GBEF in CAC and CCC, and the severity of EF reduction is similar for both. Exclusion of opioid intake immediately before the study is critical before attributing a low GBEF value to an irreversible GB motor dysfunction.  (+info)

Corn oil emulsion: a simple cholecystagogue for diagnosis of chronic acalculous cholecystitis. (3/30)

This study investigated the use of a corn oil emulsion as an inexpensive alternative to sincalide in the scintigraphic diagnosis of chronic acalculous cholecystitis (CAC). METHODS: Thirty patients with abdominal or right upper quadrant pain underwent (99m)Tc-disofenin hepatobiliary imaging for 60 min. After gallbladder filling, 30 mL of corn oil emulsion were administered orally to all patients followed by dynamic imaging for an additional 60 min in all patients and for 90 min in 26 patients. Gallbladder emptying kinetics were determined with gallbladder ejection fractions calculated at 30, 60, and 90 min. The results were compared with histopathologic or clinical follow-up data. RESULTS: Corn oil emulsion was found to be palatable and free of side effects in all patients. Seven of the 30 patients had histopathologic evidence of CAC, whereas the remaining 23 did not have evidence of gallbladder disease based on clinical follow-up. The 30-, 60-, and 90-min gallbladder ejection fractions were determined to be 25% +/- 22% (mean +/- SD), 47% +/- 28%, and 62% +/- 29%, respectively. Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis showed that the 60-min gallbladder ejection fraction best distinguished between CAC and non-gallbladder disease with an area under the curve of 0.963. A 60-min gallbladder ejection fraction of < or = 20% had 100% sensitivity, 96% specificity, 88% positive predictive value, 100% negative predictive value, and 97% overall accuracy for the diagnosis of CAC. CONCLUSION: Standardized corn oil emulsion appears to be an adequate and well-tolerated gallbladder stimulant. Based on receiver-operating-characteristic analysis, a 60-min gallbladder ejection fraction of < or = 20% using this simple cholecystagogue results in high diagnostic accuracy for CAC.  (+info)

Changes in guinea pig gallbladder smooth muscle Ca2+ homeostasis by acute acalculous cholecystitis. (4/30)

Impaired smooth muscle contractility is a hallmark of acute acalculous cholecystitis. Although free cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) is a critical step in smooth muscle contraction, possible alterations in Ca2+ homeostasis by cholecystitis have not been elucidated. Our aim was to elucidate changes in the Ca2+ signaling pathways induced by this gallbladder dysfunction. [Ca2+]i was determined by epifluorescence microscopy in fura 2-loaded isolated gallbladder smooth muscle cells, and isometric tension was recorded from gallbladder muscle strips. F-actin content was quantified by confocal microscopy. Ca2+ responses to the inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) mobilizing agonist CCK and to caffeine, an activator of the ryanodine receptors, were impaired in cholecystitic cells. This impairment was not the result of a decrease in the size of the releasable pool. Inflammation also inhibited Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels and capacitative Ca2+ entry induced by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ pools. In addition, the pharmacological phenotype of these channels was altered in cholecystitic cells. Inflammation impaired contractility further than Ca2+ signal attenuation, which could be related to the decrease in F-actin that was detected in cholecystitic smooth muscle cells. These findings indicate that cholecystitis decreases both Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx in gallbladder smooth muscle, but a loss in the sensitivity of the contractile machinery to Ca2+ may also be responsible for the impairment in gallbladder contractility.  (+info)

Acute acalculous cholecystitis: a rare complication of typhoid fever. (5/30)

Acute acalculous cholecystitis is a very rare complication of typhoid fever, and may be due to multi-drug resistant and virulent forms of Salmonella infection. It is particularly rare in adults. A 21-year-old woman, presenting with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, was found to have acute acalculous cholecystitis due to typhoid fever on basis of ultrasonographical findings and a positive Widal's test for Salmonella typhi. She was treated with antibiotics and made a full recovery.  (+info)

Unusual cases of acute cholecystitis and cholangitis: Tokyo Guidelines. (6/30)

Unusual cases of acute cholecystitis and cholangitis include (1) pediatric biliary tract infections, (2) geriatric biliary tract infections, (3) acalculous cholecystitis, (4) acute and intrahepatic cholangitis accompanying hepatolithiasis (5) acute biliary tract infection accompanying malignant pancreatic-biliary tumor, (6) postoperative biliary tract infection, (7) acute biliary tract infection accompanying congenital biliary dilatation and pancreaticobiliary maljunction, and (8) primary sclerosing cholangitis. Pediatric biliary tract infection is characterized by great differences in causes from those of adult acute biliary tract infection, and severe cases should be immediately referred to a specialist pediatric surgical unit. Because biliary tract infection in elderly patients, who often have serious systemic conditions and complications, is likely to progress to a serious form, early surgery or biliary drainage is necessary. Acalculous cholangitis, which often occurs in patients with serious concomitant conditions, such as those in intensive care units (ICUs) and those with disturbed cardiac, pulmonary, and nephric function, has a high mortality and poor prognosis. Cholangitis accompanying hepatolithiasis includes recurrent pyogenic cholangitis, an epidemic disease in Southeast Asia. Biliary tract infections, which often occur after a biliary tract operation and treatment of the biliary tract, may have a fatal outcome, and should be carefully observed. The causes of acute cholangitis associated with pancreaticobiliary maljunction differ before and after operation. Direct cholangiography is most useful in the diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis. If cholangiography visualizes a typical bile duct, differentiation from acute pyogenic cholangitis is easy. This article discusses the individual characteristics, diagnostic criteria, treatment guidelines, and prognosis of these unusual types of biliary tract infection.  (+info)

A case report of dengue virus infection and acalculous cholecystitis in a pregnant returning traveler. (7/30)

Dengue viral infections present a significant risk during pregnancy to both mother and fetus. A young woman at 13 weeks' gestation presented with fever and abdominal pain following a diarrheal illness after returning from Puerto Rico. Over the course of 5 days, she developed nausea, petechiae, severe thrombocytopenia, and acalculous cholecystitis. After a serologic diagnosis of acute infection with dengue virus, she was provided supportive care. An uncomplicated pregnancy led to delivery of a healthy infant at 40 weeks gestation. Travel during pregnancy to dengue-endemic areas poses a risk to both mother and fetus. Pregnancies complicated by dengue infection require close monitoring for potential maternal and fetal complications.  (+info)

Oerskovia turbata and Myroides species: rare isolates from a case of acalculus cholecystitis. (8/30)

Here we report a case of acalculus cholecystitis, which presented with features of obstructive jaundice of one-week duration. The patient underwent cholecystectomy and bile grew a mixed culture of Oerskovia turbata and Myroides spp. Being a rare isolate, characteristic features of the former are described in this report. The patient recovered without any complication.  (+info)

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