Clinical effect of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage in treatment of acute cholecystitis in elderly patients

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage( PTGD) in the treatment of acute cholecystitis in elderly patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 62 patients who underwent PTGD in Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from June 2010 to June 2015. The body temperature,white blood cell( WBC) count,liver function,and gallbladder size were measured before PTGD and at 24 and 72 hours after PTGD. The paired t-test was used for comparison of continuous data before and after treatment within each group. Results All the patients achieved a one-time success in PTGD. There was no significant change in body temperature at 24 hours after PTGD( t = 0. 91,P > 0. 05). There were significant reductions in WBC count,alanine aminotransferase,and aspartate aminotransferase from 24 to 72 hours after PTGD,as well as a significant reduction in gallbladder size( all P < 0. 05). Conclusion Ultrasound-guided PTGD is a safe and effective minimally invasive method for the treatment of acute cholecystitis in critically ill elderly patients who are unable to undergo surgery.