A Study on Efficacy of UGI Scopy in Cholelithiasis Patients before Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Objectives. Upper abdominal symptoms are common in both gallstone disease and inflammatory disorders of gastroduodenum. To differentiate the causes of upper gastrointestinal symptoms due to gallstone and gastroduodenal disorders, upper gastrointestinal (UGI) scopy is a useful diagnostic tool. Our aim of study is to determine the efficacy of the preoperative UGI scopy and concurrent treatment of associated esophageal and gastric pathologies with symptomatic cholelithiasis in view of postoperative symptom reduction. Materials and Methods. This is a prospective study comprising 400 symptomatic cholelithiasis patients admitted in our institution. All patients underwent upper GI endoscopy (1–4 days) prior to cholecystectomy, and the findings were noted. Then, based on findings in UGI scopy, patients were grouped as group A (endoscopy normal) and group B (endoscopy with some findings). Group B patients were treated with medication, and both groups were operated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Pain and other symptoms in the preoperative period and postoperative period were measured and compared in both groups. Results. After excluding 7 patients with significant endoscopy findings, we have included 400 patients who underwent laparoscopy cholecystectomy. In a total of 400 patients, median age of presentation was 47.3 and female to male ratio was 2.2 : 1. Endoscopy showed some pathological findings in 75.5% patients, and the commonest endoscopy finding was gastritis. On comparison of pain score in preoperative patients, pain score was high in group B patients (p<0.05). Pain reduction was significant in postoperative 1st, 4th, and 6th weeks in both groups (p<0.0005). In the same way, other symptoms other than pain were compared which shows postoperative symptom reduction is highly significant in group B patients. Conclusion. Clinical presentation of cholelithiasis and other upper GI diseases resemble each other. It is difficult to discriminate between upper GI symptoms due to cholelithiasis or any other upper GI conditions. Although UGI scopy is not recommended for all patients with cholelithiasis, it may be beneficial to do UGI scopy in certain cholelithiasis patients with atypical presentation to prevent atypical symptoms after surgery

Surgical outcomes of gallbladder cancer: the OMEGA retrospective, multicentre, international cohort study

Background Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is rare but aggressive. The extent of surgical intervention for different GBC stages is non-uniform, ranging from cholecystectomy alone to extended resections including major hepatectomy, resection of adjacent organs and routine extrahepatic bile duct resection (EBDR). Robust evidence here is lacking, however, and survival benefit poorly defined. This study assesses factors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and morbidity and mortality following GBC surgery in high income countries (HIC) and low and middle income countries (LMIC).Methods The multicentre, retrospective Operative Management of Gallbladder Cancer (OMEGA) cohort study included all patients who underwent GBC resection across 133 centres between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2020. Regression analyses assessed factors associated with OS, RFS and morbidity.Findings On multivariable analysis of all 3676 patients, wedge resection and segment IVb/V resection failed to improve RFS (HR 1.04 [0.84-1.29], p = 0.711 and HR 1.18 [0.95-1.46], p = 0.13 respectively) or OS (HR 0.96 [0.79-1.17], p = 0.67 and HR 1.48 [1.16-1.88], p = 0.49 respectively), while major hepatectomy was associated with worse RFS (HR 1.33 [1.02-1.74], p = 0.037) and OS (HR 1.26 [1.03-1.53], p = 0.022). Furthermore, EBDR (OR 2.86 [2.3-3.52], p &lt; 0.0010), resection of additional organs (OR 2.22 [1.62-3.02], p &lt; 0.0010) and major hepatectomy (OR 3.81 [2.55-5.73], p &lt; 0.0010) were all associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Compared to LMIC, patients in HIC were associated with poorer RFS (HR 1.18 [1.02-1.37], p = 0.031) but not OS (HR 1.05 [0.91-1.22], p = 0.48). Adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments were infrequently used.Interpretation In this large, multicentre analysis of GBC surgical outcomes, liver resection was not conclusively associated with improved survival, and extended resections were associated with greater morbidity and mortality without oncological benefit. Aggressive upfront resections do not benefit higher stage GBC, and international col-laborations are needed to develop evidence-based neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment strategies to minimise surgical morbidity and prioritise prognostic benefit.Funding Cambridge Hepatopancreatobiliary Department Research Fund.Copyright &amp; COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)