Laparoscopic cholecystectomy alleviates pain in patients with acalculous biliary disease.

Our goal was to determine whether laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and effective means of treatment for patients with acalculous cholecystitis. We reviewed the charts of 243 patients diagnosed with acalculous cholecystitis or biliary dyskinesia. Follow-up telephone interviews to measure degree of patient satisfaction and relief of preoperative symptoms were conducted. Hepatobiliary scanning results and postoperative symptom resolution were compared. One hundred seventy-one patients (94.5%) reported complete or partial resolution of symptoms postoperatively. Although 99 patients had symptoms reproduced with cholecystokinin injection during scanning, there was no significant correlation between these findings and alleviation of pain with cholecystectomy. There was no significant correlation between pain resolution after cholecystectomy and abnormal pathologic findings. Patients who suffered symptoms for a longer period of time preoperatively were more likely to be satisfied with the result of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy alleviates symptoms in many patients with acute or chronic acalculous cholecystitis or biliary dyskinesia with minimal morbidity.