Summary

Background:

The timing of interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy continues to be a matter of debate. 

Objectives:

To evaluate the best timing for performing this procedure after an episode of acute cholecystitis. 

Methods:

In this retrospective analysis, we divided 213 patients into three groups based on the time that elapsed since an episode of acute cholecystitis to surgery: Group I: 1–6 weeks, Group II: 6–12 weeks, Group III: > 12 weeks. 

Results:

The mean operative time ranged from 50 to 62 minutes, complication rate from 2.6% to 5.9%, conversion rate from 2.6% to 10.8%, length of hospitalization from 1.55 to 2.2 days, and the 30 day readmission rate from 2.7% to 7.9%. There were no statistically significant differences between the study groups in the primary outcome parameters.

Conclusions:

Due to the lack of statistically significant differences between the groups, interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely and without increasing the complication rate within 6 weeks following the acute episode as well as 12 weeks after. However, a trend towards higher conversion and complication rates was observed in Group II (6–12 weeks).