Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis in Laparoscopic Surgery

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is one presentation of cholecystitis and can be a cause of difficulty in cholecystectomy. We reviewed the clinical files of 12,426 patients who had undergone cholecystectomy. In this group, there were 182 cases of XGC, and 41 of these patients had undergone laparoscopic surgery. Patients with XGC represented 1.46% of the cholecystectomies that were performed. Of the 41 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery, 27 were men (66%) and 14 were women (34%) (average age, 52 years). A total of 36 patients (88%) presented with a chronic condition. XGC was found to be associated with lithiasis in 85%, with jaundice in 22%, and with cancer in 2.4% (one patient). A total of 33 patients (80%) required conversion to open surgery, because of technical difficulties; of these patients, 64% underwent partial cholecystectomy. We conclude that XGC creates difficulty at laparoscopy and therefore any preoperative suspicion of XGC should cause the clinician to consider open cholecystectomy.