Evaluation of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: a method of choice?

Objective Whether laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC) is a treatment of choice for acute cholecystitis remains debatable. This study was attempted to make an evaluation on the topic. Methods 207 patients treated by LC for gallbladder stone with acute inflammation were retrospectively reviewed with emphasis on incidence of postoperative complication, rate of conversion to open cholecystectomy(OC) and factors influencing the conversion of approach. Results This series revealed that the rate of conversion to OC attained 32.3%; the incidence of complication reached 20.9% , significantly higher than that after conventional OC( 5.7% ). Pathology of the inflamed gallbladder ; time elapsed from onset ; length of present history ; severity of leucocytosis and even patient’s sex were taken into consideration as probable factors for the conversion . Conclusion In the case of acute cholecystitis adoption of LC should be scrutinized because LC is likely to be contraindicated in presence of the factors mentioned above.