2019 Volume 33 Issue 5 Pages 817-823
Factors related to the smell level of the bile drained were analyzed in 72 patients with acute cholecystitis who underwent percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration or drainage from February 2016 to October 2018. Doctors evaluated the smell level of the bile drained based on a score of 0 to 10 (0, without smell and 10, worst smell), and the average was defined as the Smell score. The cases with a Smell score of ≥5 were classified as the bad smell group and those with <5 as the non-bad smell group. Gallbladder wall thickness of ≥8mm (p=0.02), peak C-reactive protein of ≥20mg/dl (p<0.01), and the amount of isolated E. coli (p<0.01) were found to be significant factors related to bad smelling bile in acute cholecystitis patients.
E. coli was isolated more commonly and the gallbladder wall was thicker in cases with bad smelling bile. The smell of the bile is suggested to be proportional to the grade of inflammation.
