Optimal timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy after gallbladder drainage for acute cholecystitis: A multi-institutional retrospective study

Background There is no consensus on the optimal timing of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) after gallbladder drainage for acute cholecystitis (AC). To obtain evidence for a consensus, we investigated surgical outcomes of LC after gallbladder drainage with respect to the time elapsed from gallbladder drainage to surgery in a multi-institutional retrospective study. Methods This study enrolled 347 patients who underwent LC after gallbladder drainage for AC at 15 institutions. Surgical outcome of LC was investigated in the cases based on the interval from gallbladder drainage to surgery. Results The median interval from gallbladder drainage to surgery of the patients was 34 days, with a mean +/- standard deviation of 58 +/- 99 days. Patients were divided into four groups based on quartiles of the interval: Group A, cases with an interval of 1-12 days; Group B, cases with an interval of 13-34 days; Group C, cases with an interval of 35-73 days; and Group D, cases with an interval of >= 74 days. Surgical outcomes, which were evaluated with respect to intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, rate of intraoperative accident, conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery, and postoperative complication, were worse in Group B than in the other groups. The finding was verified by propensity score-matched analysis. Conclusions Surgical outcome of LC after gallbladder drainage for AC was inferior in Group B compared with the other groups. This finding could be useful for determining the optimal timing of LC after gallbladder drainage for AC.