Acute biliary pancreatitis in cholecystectomised patients

OBJECTIVE The present study is an evaluation of cases of acute biliary pancreatitis that developed subsequent to cholecystectomy. METHODS Total of 44 patients were assessed in this retrospective study. Demographic characteristics, severity of illness, time elapsed between cholecystectomy and development of pancreatitis, whether endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) was performed, surgical procedure used, duration of hospitalization, and mortality data were recorded. RESULTS Mean age of all patients was 60.14±16.4 years (range: 20-85 years), and female:male ratio was 28:16. Mean length of time elapsed between cholecystectomy and development of acute pancreatitis was 80.6 months (range: 5-230 months). Gallstones and biliary sand were found in the choledochi of 36 patients upon endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but not observed in the remaining 8 patients. ES was performed and material was extracted in 32 of the 36 patients, but stone extraction was unsuccessful in 4 cases; 3 patients underwent open surgery with choledochus exploration and 1 patient died. Excluding this patient, mean duration of hospitalization was 7.5±2.5 days. CONCLUSION Stones in bile ducts may remain asymptomatic for long periods after cholecystectomy. However, some stones trigger acute pancreatitis months or years after cholecystectomy, causing risk of mortality. ERCP and ES are the standard treatments. If these are unsuccessful, the choledochus may be explored via open or laparoscopic surgery.