Cholecystitis in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation: A Five-Year Analysis of Incidence, Causes, and Impact

Abstract

There is a paucity of data on cholecystitis in liver transplant candidates (LTC), including the incidence of the cholecystitis and the associated outcomes in this patient population. As such, this study examines the incidence of and factors associated with cholecystitis in the high-acuity LTC population, as well as the association between cholecystitis and graft and patient survival. Liver transplant candidates undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) at a large transplant center from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016 were included in the initial analysis. Surgical pathology reports were examined for the presence of cholecystitis. Univariate analyses were performed to determine the association between patient factors and cholecystitis. Kaplan-Meier analyses and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were performed to examine the association between cholecystitis and graft and patient survival. Of the 405 patients in the final study population, 267 (65.9%) had no cholecystitis, 21 (5.2%) had acute cholecystitis, and 117 (28.9%) had chronic cholecystitis. The presence of cholecystitis was associated with preoperative WBC, sepsis within 10 days prior to transplant, location prior to transplant, and total length of stay. While this study revealed no association between cholecystitis and graft or patient survival, it also suggests that cholecystitis is under-recognized in high-model end-stage liver disease (MELD) OLT candidates. Therefore, a high index of suspicion for cholecystitis may be helpful in caring for this vulnerable patient population; however, further studies must be performed to determine the optimal management of cholecystitis in these patients.