Although bactibilia is an important condition of
acute cholecystitis, its effect on the course and outcome of the infectious
gallbladder disease has rarely been studied, particularly in relation to the laparoscopic procedure. The current study attempts to learn more about the inter-relationship between bactibilia and
laparoscopic cholecystectomy during
acute cholecystitis. Demographic, preoperative, operative, and postoperative data were prospectively collected in every patient with
acute cholecystitis treated in the department of surgery at the Bnai Zion Medical Center, Israel. Intraoperative biliary samples were collected under aseptic conditions at the time of operation for bacteriologic examination and were routinely cultured in aerobic and anaerobic media for 3 days. The study population was divided into culture-positive and culture-negative groups, and the collected parameters were compared between the groups. Age over 60 years, a palpable gallbladder, temperature over 37.5 degrees C, a white blood cell (WBC) count of more than 12,000/cc(3), and serum
alkaline phosphatase higher than 100 U/dL were all found to be factors capable of predicting bactibilia. Bactibilia was a significant factor associated with total, as well as infectious, operative complications. Bactibilia is considered to indicate an advanced stage of
acute cholecystitis. In cases of
laparoscopic cholecystectomy for infectious
gallbladder disease, bactibilia is strongly associated with total, as well as local, infectious complications. Preoperative conditions such as older age, elevated temperature, a palpable gallbladder, elevated WBC count, and elevated serum levels of
alkaline phosphatase can serve as predictors of bactibilia and its consequent complications. Although the sensitivity and specificity of the predictive factors for bactibilia are limited to 63% and 67%, respectively, in their presence during
acute cholecystitis, conservative wide-spectrum
antibiotics as the first-line
therapy is appropriate, and, upon regimen failure, laparoscopic surgery by an experienced surgeon is indicated as the adjusted
therapy.