The safety and efficacy of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage in elderly patients with acute cholecystitis before laparoscopic cholecystectomy

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the standard management for acute cholecystitis. Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) may be an alternative interim strategy before surgery in elderly patients with comorbidities. This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PTGBD for elderly patients (>60 years) with acute cholecystitis. METHODS: We reviewed consecutive patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis between January 2009 and December 2013. Group I included patients who underwent PTGBD, and patients of group II did not undergo PTGBD before LC. RESULTS: All 116 patients (72.7 ± 7.1 years) were analyzed. The preoperative details of group I (n = 39) and group II (n = 77) were not significantly different. There was no significant difference in operative time (P = 0.057) and intraoperative estimated blood loss (P = 0.291). The rate of conversion to open operation of group I was significantly lower than that of group II (12.8% vs. 32.5%, P < 0.050). No significant difference of postoperative morbidity was found between the two groups (25.6% vs. 26.0%, P = 0.969). In addition, perioperative mortality was not significantly different. Preoperative hospital stay of group I was significantly longer than that of group II (10.3 ± 5.7 days vs. 4.4 ± 2.8 days, P < 0.050). However, two groups were not significantly different in total hospital stay (16.3 ± 9.0 days vs. 13.4 ± 6.5 days, P = 0.074). CONCLUSION: PTGBD is a proper preoperative management before LC for elderly patients with acute cholecystitis.