Elective cholecystectomy for the patient with sickle cell disease and asymptomatic cholelithiasis.

Experience with elective cholecystectomy in ten patients with sickle cell disease and one patient with sickle-thalassemia from 1977-1984 was reviewed. In contrast to an earlier review from our institution, the current series had a low morbidity. This improvement is attributed to careful perioperative care, especially preoperative transfusion, hydration, and oxygenation. Because of the increasing longevity of sickle cell patients, because of the incidence of eventual significant complications of even asymptomatic cholelithiasis, and in order to simplify medical management by eliminating the diagnostic confusion between acute cholecystitis and sickle cell hepatobiliary crisis, the authors believe that elective cholecystectomy is to be recommended for the sickle cell patient with asymptomatic gall stones.