COMPARISON OF OUTCOMES BETWEEN EARLY AND DELAYED LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY IN ACUTE CALCULOUS CHOLECYSTITIS.

Objective: To compare early versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute calculous cholecystitis in terms of mean operative time, hospital stay, conversion rate to open surgery and post-operative complications. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Army Liver Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, Pak-Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Jul to Dec 2018. Methodology: A total of 170 patients (85 in each group) diagnosed as a case of acute calculous cholecystitis who met the sample selection criteria were included. Group A patients underwent early laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 72 hours of admission while group B patients underwent conservative management followed by delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy after 6 weeks. All patients were followed for operative time, hospital stay, per-operative difficulties encountered and post-operative complications. Results: Group A had a mean operation time of 43.9 ± 11.1 minutes, while group B had a mean operation time of 45.8 ± 10.1 minutes (p=0.83). The mean duration of hospitalization was 2.8 ± 1.1 days in group A and 5.3 ± 0.8 days in group B (p<0.001). Complications were measured at a frequency of 14.1% in group A and 5.9% in group B (p=0.07). Conclusion: Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is better than delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute calculous cholecystitis in terms of hospital stay and per-operative difficulties faced. The post-operative complications between the two groups are comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]