Acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Thirty-two patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis are presented. The age of the patients ranged from 1 to 80 years, with an average of 46.3 years. Acute acalculous cholecystitis occurred during the postoperative period in only four patients. Three patients were receiving total parenteral nutrition and 16 patients had one or more associated medical diseases. One patient had acute acalculous cholecystitis due to mechanical obstruction of the cystic duct caused by a diaphragmatic hernia. The most frequent signs and symptoms were right upper quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal mass, and jaundice. All patients were subjected to cholecystectomy. Nine (28.1%) gallbladder specimens had gangrene. Pericholecystic perforation was observed in four patients (12.5%) free perforation in one patient (3.1%), and empyema of the gallbladder in one patient (3.1%). Bacteria were cultured from 18 of 24 bile specimens. E. coli was the most common organism isolated. The overall postoperative mortality and complication rates were 15.6% and 40.6% respectively. The average hospital stay was 16.4 days.