Percutaneous cholecystostomy versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acute cholecystitis and failed conservative management: a matched-pair analysis.

Introduction: The role of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) or laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in the management of patients with acute cholecystitis presenting beyond 72 hours from the onset of symptoms is unclear and undefined. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the outcomes of PC or LC in the management of these patients, who failed 24 hours of initial nonoperative management. Patients and Methods: A retrospective chart review between January 1999 and October 2010 revealed 261 patients with acute calculus cholecystitis beyond 72 hours from onset of symptoms who failed initial nonoperative management. Twenty-three of 261 (8.8%) underwent PC and were compared with a similar 1: 1 matched cohort of LC, matched using sex, age, race, BMI, diabetes, and sepsis to minimize the influence of treatment selection bias. Results: There was no significant difference between PC versus LC regarding morbidity [4/23 (17%) vs. 2/23 (9%), P = 0.665] and mortality [3/23 (13%) vs. 0/23 (0%), P = 0.233]. The length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the PC group (15.9 +/- 12.6 vs. 7.6 +/- 4.9 d, P = 0.005). Conclusion: In this matched cohort analysis, PC failed to show a significant reduction in morbidity compared with LC and was associated with a significantly longer hospital stay.