Preoperative systemic and local inflammation are independent risk factors for difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy after percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage.

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is required for acute cholecystitis patient with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD). However, it's unknown how to distinguishing the surgical difficulty for these patients.

METHODS

Data of patients who underwent LC after PTGBD between 2016 and 2022 were collected. Patients were categorized into difficult and non-difficult operations based on operative time, blood loss, and surgical conversion. Performance of prediction model was evaluated by ROC, calibration, and decision curves.

RESULTS

A total of 127 patients were analyzed, including 91 in non-difficult operation group and 36 in difficult operation group. Elevated CRP ( = 0.011), pericholecystic effusion ( < 0.001), and contact with stomach or duodenal ( = 0.015) were independent risk factors for difficult LC after PTGBD. A nomogram was developed according to these risk factors, and was well-calibrated and good at distinguishing difficult LC after PTGBD.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative elevated systemic and local inflammation indictors are predictors for difficult LC after PTGBD.