A Comparative Study of Early Versus Delayed Cholecystectomy among Patients with Mild to Moderate Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis

Abstract

Objective: The current study aims to compare the early cholecystectomy outcomes with delayed cholecystectomy outcomes in cases involving mild to moderate acute gallstone pancreatitis (AGP). Study Design: Observational Studies Place and Duration: This study was conducted at, Makran Medical college, Turbat Pakistan for a period of 1 year from January 2024 date to January 2025. Methods: The research comprised a total of 54 participants with mild to moderate AGP. The study allocated patients into two categories in a random manner: one group of patients had early cholecystectomy (n=27), and the other experienced delayed cholecystectomy (n=27). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed on the Early Cholecystectomy (EC) group during the initial hospitalization, while surgery was performed on the Delayed Cholecystectomy (DC) group four weeks after they were discharged. Data on surgery duration, conversion rates, complications, hospital stay, and recurrent biliary events were collected. Results: For the EC group, the median time to surgery was 6 days, but for the DC group, it was 30 days. The conversion rate of DC group and EC group to open surgery was 7.4% and 11.1%, respectively (p=0.6841). There were 25.9% perioperative complications in the EC group compared to 14.8% in the DC group (p=0.3155). The DC group had significantly higher recurrent biliary events (29.6%, p=0.0003). There was no mortality observed in either group. Conclusion: For individuals with mild to moderate AGP, early cholecystectomy decreases the incidence of recurrent biliary events more than delayed cholecystectomy. This finding is supported by the benefits of early intervention along with a need for further studies to verify long term outcomes.