Outcomes of same admission cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for common bile duct stones: A post hoc analysis of an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter study

BACKGROUND The optimal timing for cholecystectomy after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for common bile duct (CBD) stones is unknown. We hypothesized that a delay between procedures would correlate with more biliary complications and longer hospitalizations. METHODS We prospectively identified patients who underwent same admission cholecystectomy after ERCP for CBD stones from 2016 to 2019 at 12 US medical centers. The cohort was stratified by time between ERCP and cholecystectomy: <= 24 hours (immediate), >24 to <= 72 hours (early), and >72 hours (late). Primary outcomes included operative duration, postoperative length of stay, (LOS), and hospital LOS. Secondary outcomes included rates of open conversion, CBD explorations, biliary complications, and in-hospital complications. RESULTS For the 349 patients comprising the study cohort, 33.8% (n = 118) were categorized as immediate, 50.4% (n = 176) as early, and 15.8% (n = 55) as late. Rates of CBD explorations were lower in the immediate group compared with the late group (0.9% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.01). Rates of open conversion were lower in the immediate group compared with the early group (0.9% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.01) and in the immediate group compared with the late group (0.9% vs. 10.9%, p < 0.001). On a mixed-model regression analysis, an immediate cholecystectomy was associated with a significant reduction in postoperative LOS (beta = 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.96; p = 0.02) and hospital LOS (beta = 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.62-0.75; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION An immediate cholecystectomy following ERCP correlates with a shorter postoperative LOS and hospital LOS. Rates of CBD explorations and conversion to open appear more common after 24 hours.

Automated summary

The study found that performing cholecystectomy immediately after ERCP for CBD stones can significantly reduce postoperative and hospital length of stay, with higher rates of CBD explorations and open conversions occurring after 24 hours.