A study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology examined cholecystectomy's effectiveness in preventing recurrent pancreatitis.
Ayesha Kamal, MD, of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, and colleagues examined 17,010 patients from the 2010 MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database for acute pancreatitis and gallstone disease.
Researches considered guideline adherence for cholecystectomy within 30 days of first hospitalization for biliary pancreatitis. Researchers also compared individuals with and without guideline-adherent cholecystectomy for subsequent hospitalization for acute or chronic pancreatitis.
Here's what they found.
1. Seventy-eight percent of patients adhered to treatment guidelines with 10,918 undergoing cholecystectomy during first admission and 2,387 undergoing cholecystectomy within 30 days.
2. However, 3,705 patients were non-adherent with guidelines. Exactly 1,213 patients had cholecystectomies one month to six months after initial hospitalization.
3. Guideline-adherent cholecystectomy resulted in fewer subsequent hospitalizations for acute and chronic pancreatitis compared with non-adherent patients.
Researchers concluded guideline adherence for cholecystectomy resulted in decreased hospitalizations. However, non-adherent patients did not need to undergo a subsequent cholecystectomy. Additionally, "there may be factors that predict the need for immediate versus delayed cholecystectomy."