Urgent Versus Elective Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Following Percutaneous Transhepatic Gallbladder Drainage for Moderate Acute Cholecystitis: A Meta-Analysis

Background: There is still controversy regarding the treatment strategy for moderate acute cholecystitis (AC). Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) followed laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has shown advantages compared to emergency LC (ELC). However, the results are controversial. Therefore, we conducted this updated meta-analysis to clarify this issue.

Materials and methods: A comprehensive literature search for relevant studies comparing the PTGBD + LC and ELC for moderate AC was performed. The statistical analysis was conducted using Stata.

Results: A total of 14 studies were included. The pooled analysis revealed that PTGBD + LC group had a shorter operation time (SMD = -1.07, 95%CI = -1.19 to -0.95), lower amount of intraoperative bleeding (SMD = -0.93, 95%CI = -1.07 to -0.79), lower conversion rate (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.17-0.44), lower postoperative complications (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.23-0.88) shorter postoperative hospital stay (SMD = -1.20, 95%CI = -1.33 to -1.07), lower wound infection rate (OR = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.23-0.74) and higher hospitalization expenses (SMD = 1.13, 95%CI = 0.96 to 1.29) compared with ELC group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of bile leak, bile duct injury and total hospital stay.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggested that PTGBD + LC has significant advantages over ELC for moderate AC patients, including lower surgical difficulty, lower conversion rate, fewer postoperative complications, and shorter hospital stay.