Cholécystectomie laparoscopique pour cholécystite

This video demonstrates the early surgical management of a 3-day history of acute cholecystitis in an 83-year-old patient. This patient was admitted to the emergency department for epigastric and right hypochondrium pain, without any other symptoms. Clinically, the patient presented with a localized abdominal guarding; Murphy’s sign was positive. Blood chemistries demonstrated the presence of an inflammatory syndrome and liver function tests were normal. The ultrasound exam confirmed the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy was decided upon. The postoperative outcome was uneventful and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 3. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard for the early treatment of acute cholecystitis with an onset of symptoms less than 72 hours (Tokyo Guidelines 2013, recommendation 1, grade A).

This video demonstrates the case of an 81-year-old woman with chronic cholecystitis. She has had several episodes of right hypochondrium pain with altered liver tests, which spontaneously got back to normal values. Ultrasound and CT-scan demonstrated the presence of uncomplicated gallstones and a slightly hypotonic common bile duct (8mm in diameter). No obstacle was visualized in the common bile duct. A delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy was scheduled. This video shows how some inaccuracies in the dissection technique and the presence of an altered anatomy have led to a circumferential dissection of the common bile duct. Common bile duct injury was avoided and the importance of an intraoperative cholangiography is emphasized.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a hazardous operation when the anatomy of Calot’s triangle is distorted by acute inflammation or any other factor (in our case, adhesions due to the recent surgery, and especially due to radiotherapy). In these difficult situations, the intraoperative decision to use a protective surgical technique as subtotal cholecystectomy is made with the purpose to prevent any injury to the biliary tree.
This video demonstrates the case of a 69-year-old woman with morbid obesity (BMI of 55) and diagnosed with acute cholecystitis. Her past medical history is relevant for right nephrectomy for renal carcinoma using a right subcostal laparotomy followed by radiochemotherapy completed 3 months earlier.
Subtotal cholecystectomy is a procedure which aims to remove portions of the gallbladder when structures of Calot’s triangle cannot be safely identified in "difficult gallbladders". The conversion rate to open surgery was higher among this category of patients. We describe our experience with a technical change, namely, a tactical laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy which almost always prevents conversion at the end of the procedures, and prevents both the risk of injury to the common bile duct and the risk of hemorrhage. In such cases, there is a need for rigor and prudence in order to return to the traditional technique in real time, if necessary.
Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy can be considered a safe and feasible alternative to conversion to open surgery. Subtotal cholecystectomy is an essential technique to be used in difficult gallbladders. It achieves morbidity rates comparable to those reported for total cholecystectomy in simple cases.

In this authoritative lecture, Dr. Wakabayashi emphasizes the key operative steps, according to the latest version of the Tokyo guidelines, and recommendations regarding the appropriate imaginative lower limit of the surgical area, to prevent injuries to the anterior Glissonian trunk in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Dr. Wakabayashi also recommends to intraoperatively consider this imaginative line, in order to know where to stop in the bailout surgery dome down technique for especially inflamed cholecystitis.

This video shows a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute perforated calculous cholecystitis using the “French technique” with the surgeon standing between the patient’s legs.
The video describes a case of percutaneous cholecystostomy failure for the treatment of acute calculous cholecystitis in an elderly patient and the importance of the critical view of safety (CVS) even with acute inflammation.