Abstract
We found postoperative acute cholecystitis in eight (2.1%) of 380 patients who underwent abdominal surgery during 1989. All these patients had been operated on for gastric cancer (8.7% of 92 patients). The purpose of the present study was to analyze these patients from the aspects of diagnosis and treatment. The prognosis of postoperative acute cholecystitis is considered poor because of the difficulty of early diagnosis. Therefore, we tried to perform an ultrasonic examination for obtaining early diagnosis on the patients who developed high fever and right hypochondralgia after the operation. As a result, we were able to treat conservatively the patients who had acquired acute cholecystitis within 8 days after surgery without showing any other serious complication. On the other hand, in patients with a complication such as leakage, and in whom acute cholecystitis had occurred more than 10 days after the operation, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage, but not additional surgical treatment, was needed for cure. Early diagnosis by ultrasonic examiantion might improve the prognosis of postoperative acute cholecystitis.
