Is it necessary to perform prophylactic cholecystectomy for all symptomatic gallbladder polyps diagnosed with ultrasound?
Mehmet Velidedeoğlu1, Bülent Çitgez2, Akif Enes Arıkan1, Fadıl Ayan1
1Department of General Surgery, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey
2Clinic of General Surgery, Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Objective: The main aim of this study is to determine the necessity of cholecystectomy in patients with ultrasound diagnosed symptomatic polypoid lesions of the gallbladder.
Material and Methods: The data of 82 patients with polypoid lesions of the gallbladder who had cholecystectomy between 2000 and 2012 were analyzed retrospectively with preoperative ultrasound and histopathology results.
Results: The mean age was 48.05±11.18 years (range 25-74 years). All patients underwent preoperative ultrasound examination. Eighteen (22%) of the 82 patients were asymptomatic; their polypoid lesions of the gallbladder were detected with ultrasound during a check-up or other reasons. In 45 (55%) of cases pathology reported no polypoid lesions of the gallbladder. Right upper quadrant or epigastric pain was the most common symptom (41.46%) that led to hepatobiliary ultrasound, the other symptom was dyspepsia (36.59%). On preoperative ultrasound evaluation, 22 patients had multiple polyps, and 9 of these 22 patients had at least 3 polyps.
Conclusion: There is an inaccuracy of ultrasound to detect polypoid lesions of the gallbladder. After diagnosing polypoid lesions of the gallbladder by using standard ultrasound, further pre-operative diagnostic tests are needed to help discriminating benign lesions from malignant ones, which may prevent unnecessary surgery regardless of symptoms.
Keywords: Cholecystectomy, gallbladder cancer, gallbladder polyps, ultrasound
Ethics committee approval was received for this study from the ethics committee of İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine.
Written informed consent was obtained from patient who participated in this study.
Externally peer-reviewed.
Concept - M.V., F.A.; Design - M.V., B.C.; Supervision - M.V., B.C., F.A.; Materials - A.E.A.; Data Collection and/or Processing - A.E.A., B.C.; Analysis and/or Interpretation - M.V., B.C., F.A.; Literature Search - A.E.A., B.C.; Writing Manuscript - M.V., B.C., A.E.A.; Critical Review - F.A.
No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.
The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.