[Non-surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis in high-risk patients. Percutaneous drainage of the gallbladder and removal of stones].

Eight high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis were submitted to subhepatic percutaneous drainage of the gall-bladder as the initial treatment. One patient died a few days after the intervention. Six patients had stones in the gall-bladder. Cholecystectomy was performed in one of these in five, the stones were removed by a percutaneous endoscopic technique after dilatation of the drainage canal. No noteworthy complications occurred.