2020 Volume 40 Issue 5 Pages 615-619
In this retrospective study, we attempted to investigate the usefulness of single percutaneous drainage, including PTGBD(Percutaneous Transhepatic Gallbladder Drainage) and PTGBA (Percutaneous Transhepatic Gallbladder Aspiration), in elderly patients (75 years old or older) with acute cholecystitis, as compared to that in younger patients (under 75 years old). We used a clinical database of a cohort of 62 patients with acute cholecystitis at a single center between January 2016 and December 2017. Percutaneous drainage using an 18G needle was performed in 32 patients who were 75 years old or older (elderly group) and 30 patients who were under 75 years old (non–elderly group). PTGBA was selected for 14 patients and PTGBD for 18 patients of the elderly group, as compared to 6 and 24 patients, respectively, of the non–elderly group. One patient from the elderly group, who had undergone PTGBA, developed recurrence after drainage. One patient of the non–elderly group who had undergone PTGBD developed the complication of bleeding necessitating blood transfusion. Even though the proportion of patients with moderate–to–severe disease was statistically significantly higher in the elderly group, there was no significant difference in the rate of hospitalization or the outcome of percutaneous drainage between the two groups. Our findings suggest that PTGBA or PTGBD, as the first medical therapy, is a useful treatment, with few complications.
