Emergency versus elective cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis.

The present study was carried out at the Department of Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, New Delhi, between January 1982 and October 1984. Clinical diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was confirmed by ultrasound scanning or Tc99m labelled HIDA Scan. Group I (n=24) comprised patients who underwent emergency cholecystectomy while Group II (n=23) comprised patients who were managed conservatively, and had an elective cholecystectomy performed 6-12 weeks later. There was no mortality or wound infection in either group. The incidence of other complications was 8.3 per cent and 8.6 per cent in Groups I and II, respectively. Emergency cholecystectomy (Group I) reduced the total hospital stay of a patient by approximately 70 per cent and post cholecystectomy syndrome was seen in Group II patients only. We thus recommend emergency or early cholecystectomy during the acute stage of cholecystitis, as it is safe, effective and economical, provided it is done by an experienced surgeon.