Intensive Surgery Course Surgeon's role in the management of gallbladder diseases Paul B. S. Lai Division of Hepato-biliary and Pancreatic Surgery Department of Surgery Chinese University of Hong Kong
Talk Outline • Gallstone disease • Symptomatic gallstones • Acute cholecystitis • Gallbladder polyp • Carcinoma of gallbladder • Management of patients with GS/CBD stones
Gallstone diseases • In United Kingdom, 12% of men and 24% of women of all ages have gallstones • No Hong Kong data • Mixed stones are usually encountered • Two important determinant of GS frequency: age and gender • Poor correlation between post-prandial discomfort and the presence of stones
Gallstone disease: Who to treat? • Symptomatic GS without complications • How to define what is “symptomatic” • Those with complications related to GS • acute cholecystitis • GS / CBD stones causing obstructive jaundice or acute cholangitis • acute biliary pancreatitis • gallstone ileus • gallbladder cancer
Rationale for treatment • Once started to have symptoms related to GS, • majority of them would have symptoms recur • there is a good chance of developing complications • Some complications may be potentially fatal • biliary pancreatitis (SIRS leading to MOF) • acute cholangitis (sepsis leading to MOF) • acute cholecystitis (peritonitis)
coagulopathy suspected GB cancer advanced pregnancy multiple surgeries
Pros and Cons of lap cholecystectomy • Pros • Decrease pain with early mobilization • Shorter hospital stay and earlier resumption of normal life / work • Decrease complications (wound, chest, ileus, stress responses) • Cosmetic • Cons • Slight increase in the incidence of common bile duct injuries ?
Minilaparotomy cholecystectomy • Lap cholecystectomy vs. mini-laparotomy cholecystectomy • MacMahon et al., 1994 • Majeed et al., 1996 • Less than 10% of cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstones are done openly in most HA hospitals
Special considerations • Asymptomatic patients • No need for cholecystectomy unless • procelain gallbladder (25% associated with gallbladder cancer) • Suspected gallbladder cancer • For tertiary referral • Diabetic patients • Should be treated promptly once symptoms appear
Acute cholecystitis • 95% cases associated with gallstones • 10-20% patients with symptomatic gallstones • Gallstone impaction leads to inflammatory response with secondary bacterial infection • Must be differentiated from other gallstone-related complications especially biliary colic or biliary pancreatitis
Acute cholecystitis vs. Biliary colic • Pain • Usually over epigastrium and < 4 hours (BC) • RUQ and > 4 hours and become constant (AC) • Murphy’s Sign • Yes (AC) : No (BC) • Pyrexia / Raised WCC • Yes (AC) : No (BC) • USS Findings : GS trapped in GB neck • Thickened GB wall • Pericholecystitis fluid
In equivocal cases • Further investigations and observations are necessary • Repeat USG • E-HIDA scan • CT scan ? • Clinical progress would also determine the decision to explore or operate • Rising pulses with high fever • Evidence of sepsis
E-HIDA scan – GB not shown up likely to be acute cholecystitis - consider OT
Management of acute cholecystitis(Era of open cholecystectomy) Conventional Rx :- • initial conservative Rx • delayed cholecystectomy 6 - 8 weeks later Several randomised studies done in early 1980s – • early open cholecystectomy is more cost effective than delayed cholecystectomy with same operative morbidity and mortality
Randomised study to compared early vs. delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy for AC EarlyDelayed P value Number of patient 53 51 Default Surgery - 5 Failure of conservative Rx (LC) - 8 O.T. time (min.) 123 107 n.s. Conversion rate 11 9 n.s. O.T. time excluding conversion 119 97 n.s. Post op. Complications 5 3 n.s. Op. mortality 0 0 n.s. CBD injury 0 0 n.s. Analgesic doses 2 1 n.s. Hospital stay8 12 P <0.001 Lai et al., 1998 British Journal of Surgery
Status as in 1998 • Issue of early or delay - still favor early surgery • Lo et al., 1998 in Annals of Surgery • Lai et al., 1998 in British Journal of Surgery • No difference in conversion/complication rate • Reduced hospital stay with early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (6 vs. 11 days) • 20% of delay group readmitted for recurrent attacks or symptoms • Presentation with symptoms <7 days
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis – Early or Delayed ?
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis – Early or Delayed ?
PWH protocol • Group 1 – early laparoscopic cholecystectomy • Patients fit for surgery • Diagnosis made early (<72 hours) • Group 2 – delay laparoscopic cholecystectomy • Patients fit for surgery • Delayed presentation and late diagnosis • Patients refusing OT • Group 3 – conservative treatment +/- percutaneous cholecystotomy • Patients with medical co-morbidity and those who are not an anaesthetic candidate
Standard techniques 10 mm primary operating port 5 mm static retraction port 10 mm camera port 5 mm dynamic retraction port
Modified techniques 5 mm primary operating port 5 mm static retraction port 10 mm camera port 5 mm dynamic retraction port
Gallbladder polyp • Prevalence • 3-7% of healthy adults • USG diagnosis of gallbladder polyp • Sensitivity around 90% • Specificity 93.9% • False negative due to thickened GB wall and presence of GS masking polyps • Natural history • 50% similar, 25% increase in size, 25% decrease in size over a period of 6 years
Risk factors for malignancy • Old age (>60) • Coexisting gallstones • 85% in malignant polyp; 59% in benign polyp • Solitary polyp • Polyp rapidly increase in size • If the patient is symptomatic • Size of polyp • Size of polyp >10mm – chance of malignancy 37-88% • Larger the polyp, higher the chance
Choices of procedure • Smaller than 10mm • Can consider re-scan 6 months later if patient is asymptomatic • Larger than 10mm but smaller than 15mm • laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered • Larger than 15-20mm • open cholecystectomy + frozen section +/- liver resection
Carcinoma of gallbladder • All depends on staging of disease • incidental findings of early cancer : good prognosis • presented with late features of GB cancer: very bad prognosis • Decision for treatment options • CT scan pre-op • operative findings • Radical surgery • radical cholecystectomy with en-bloc resection of liver segment 5 and 4b and porta hepatis LN dissection
Survival of GB cancer patients radical resection overall survival palliative resection
Management options for CBD Stones Pre-op ERCP Open Surgery Lap Surgery Operative Cholangiogram LIOC L.C. for G.S. or leave G.B. intact cholecystectomy + ECBD Intra-op ERCP + L.C. L.C. + Post-op ERCP Lap ECBD + L.C.
Factors in choosing treatment • patients condition • number, size, type of CBD stones • biliary anatomy • availability of expertise
Laparoscopic ECBD vs. ERCP – trials data • Pros • lap ECBD more cost effective than ERCP/ES • decreased morbidity • shorter hospital stay • Cons • expertise for lap ECBD • OT set up (e.g. imaging) • consumables (special catheters) • OT time
Biliary pancreatitis • Also refer to gallstone-associated acute pancreatitis • ~50% of all cases of acute pancreatitis • Exact pathogenesis remains unclear • Further arrangement depends on severity of the attack
Role of urgent ERCP in biliary pancreatitis • Both UK trail and HK trail have showed early ERCP is useful in a severe attack of biliary pancreatitis • Other argued that ERCP is only useful in those patients with a component of obstructive jaundice or acute cholangitis • Routine ERCP for all patients with pancreatitis is under challenge because of the intrinsic mortality and morbidity of ERCP • No clear recommendation on this issue by the IAP guidelines for the surgical management of acute pancreatitis
Role of surgery in biliary pancreatitis • Early surgery was associated with higher morbidity (83% vs. 48%) and mortality rate (18% vs. 12%) when compared to delayed surgery • Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely performed in patients where the pancreatitis has resolved (to avoid recurrence of acute pancreatitis) • Timing of lap cholecystectomy • Same admission if the attack is mild • Should be delayed if time is needed for resolution of inflammatory response
Biliary Pancreatitis (PWH protocol) Severe Mild Unfit for OT ES only USG CBDS No CBDS Early ERCP/ES Lap Cholecystectomy + Lap ECBD ERCP/ES Failed Lap Cholecystectomy post Lap Cholecystectomy ERCP/ES Lap Cholecystectomy
Management of patients with GS/CBD stones • Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally recommended following endoscopic sphinterotomy and clearance of bile duct stones • However, it was reported that only 10% of patients with GB in-situ will return with further biliary complications – and thus expectant management is alternatively advocated, particularly for older patients • How should we advise our patients?
Management of patients with GS/CBD stones • 178 patients (older than 60) were randomized into two groups – lap chole Vs. expectant management • 82 of the 89 randomized received laparoscopic cholecystectomy • Intention-to-treat analysis • primary outcome: further biliary complications • other outcomes: complications to cholecystectomy and late deaths for all causes