Acute cholecystitis – early surgery or an attempt at conservative treatment?

Acute cholecystitis is a common disease, which ofen requires admission to hospital and surgical treatment. Acute cholecystitis is defined as inflammation of the gallbladder and usually occurs due to cystic duct obstruction from stones or sludge. It is a relatively common complication of gallstones, but it can also occur without gallstones. A combination of relevant clinical symptoms and ultrasound evidence is required to make a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Early surgery is recommended for all patients that are in good physical condition. There is still a debate how to treat high-risk and critically ill patients. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the method of choice for treatment of patients with acute cholecystitis. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be done within 72 hours from the onset of symptoms. This article presents current guidelines according to the Tokyo guidelines and the World Society of Emergency Surgery guidelines, and at the end, experiences of some clinical trials