The Possible Association of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Acute Cholangitis: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly encountered. It is associated with several comorbid diseases. However, its association with infectious biliary diseases is still unknown. Aims: We aimed to assess whether NAFLD is a risk factor for the development of acute cholangitis among patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones. Methods: We performed a retrospective study, including all patients with a documented diagnosis of CBD stone that had available data on the presence or absence of NAFLD. Descriptive analysis using univariate and multivariate models was used to assess whether an association existed between NAFLD and acute cholangitis. Results: We included 811 patients. Of them, 161 patients presented with acute cholangitis, vs. 650 patients who presented with symptomatic CBD stone without cholangitis. NAFLD was significantly more common in the cholangitis group compared to the non-cholangitis group (15.5% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.01). In univariate analysis, age (Odds ratio (OR) 1.04, p < 0.0001), male gender (OR 1.47, p = 0.03), hypertension (OR 1.81, p = 0.0008), hyperlipidemia (OR 1.59, p = 0.01), and NAFLD (OR 2.04, p = 0.006) were significantly associated with acute cholangitis. In multivariate analysis, NAFLD kept its association with acute cholangitis irrespective of age (OR 2.15, p = 0.005). Conclusions: NALFD showed a significant association with acute cholangitis among patients with a CBD stone. Clinicians should encourage treatment of NAFLD in general, and especially in the setting of gallstone disease.

O-EGS03 Laparoscopic surgery versus Endoscopy in the management Common Bile Duct Stones: systematic review and Meta-analysis

Background With the advancement in minimally invasive surgery, a 1 stage Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration (LCBDE) followed by Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) is a great alternative to removing the gallbladder and CBD stones provided the surgeon possesses the necessary skills. The current guidelines for managing CBD stones is the 2 stage approach, Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) followed by (LC). The objective of this study is to assess whether LCBDE+LC should be the gold standard in managing CBD stones by comparing the clearance rate of common bile duct stones, morbidity, mortality, and the duration of hospital stay with ERCP+LC. Methods This is a systematic review with a meta-analysis that included RCTs of patients who were treated by the LCBDE/LC versus ERCP+LC. The PRISMA guidelines for reporting systemic reviews were followed. RCTs were collected by 2 authors Independently from Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline and Embase. Statistical analysis was carried out by a computer application called Review Manager using the Mantel–Haenszel method, the results were then plotted on a Forest Plot diagram and the 2 groups were then compared. Results 849 patients from 7 RCTs were included in the study, 426 patients in the ERCP+LC arm and 423 in the LCBDE/LC arm. According to the Meta-analysis, Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration with Cholecystectomy was significantly superior to ERCP + LC in terms of successful Clearance of CBD stone, mortality rate, and Acute Pancreatitis. but had significantly higher rates in biliary leakages. There were no significant differences in Surgical Site Infections, Haemorrhages, Acute Cholangitis, Perforations, or duration of hospital stay between the two arms. Conclusions The current evidence suggests that LCBDE/LC is superior in successful CBD stone clearance, mortality, and acute pancreatitis. However, further RCTs will be needed to assess overall Morbidity, surgical site infections, Haemorrhages, Acute Cholangitis, perforations, or duration of hospital stay. The current guidelines must be reviewed to consider LCBDE/LC as the gold standard in managing patients with CBD stones.

P-EGS28 Management of obstructive jaundice secondary to gall stones in an ambulatory setting

Background Our data from Leeds shows a 30% increase in patient attendance to the Surgical Assesment Unit (SAU) across a 5 year period, putting unprecedented demands on the acute surgical service. A new Ambulatory Surgical Centre (ASC) was established for the advancement of ambulatory care pathways that would ensure that acute patients are seen promptly and kept safe with monitoring in an appropriate setting without needing admission to the hospital bed base. Gallstone related disease accounts for a third of patient attendance to the emergency surgical services. We present our experience with an ambulatory pathway to manage patients with obstructive jaundice caused by gall stones, and propose a protocol driven pathway. Methods The ASC operates an acute, consultant led clinic, with access to urgent blood tests and dedicated USS, CT and MRI imaging capacity, and offers a direct referral service from Primary Care Networks (PCNs) through the Primary Care Access Line (PCAL). Patients referred with clinical jaundice or RUQ/Epigastric pain are investigated for derangement in their liver function, and assessed for the presence and severity of Acute Cholangitis (AC), according to the 2018 Tokyo Guidelines. Patients without evidence of cholangitis, or with AC Grade I are planned for management in the ambulatory setting, including investigations, monitoring and endoscopic/surgical intervention. Outcome data was collected retrospectively from PCAL data source, spanning from Oct 2020 till July 2021. Results A total of 98 patients were referred to the acute surgical service during this period. Out of these, 47% had Grade II (n = 35) or Grade III (n = 17) AC. 48% were suitable for ambulatory management, with no evidence of AC(n = 5) or Grade I AC(n = 43). 20% patients were found to have a cause other than gall stone disease. 55% have undergone intervention (33 Laparoscopic cholecystectomies, 22 ERCP) while 12 are on the waiting list for surgery. Conclusions Our protocol offers a safe, comprehensive and timely pathway for the management of patients with gall stone related obstructed jaundice in an ambulatory setting. This has helped reduce the demand on hospital beds for surgical patients.

Impact of Acute Inflammation on the Survival Outcomes of Patients with Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The impact of acute inflammation on cancer progression is still not well elucidated. Pancreatic head cancer is occasionally associated with acute cholangitis. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker that indicates presence of acute inflammation. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We reviewed the patients’ data with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2004 and 2018. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Two hundred ninety-one patients were included. Median preoperative CRP was 0.45 mg/dL (0–18.9). Median follow-up duration was 22 months (4–152). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 76.4%, 32.2%, and 22.9%, respectively. Recurrence occurred in 168 cases (57.7%). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 53.9%, 27.1%, and 21.9%, respectively. The median OS was higher in normal CRP patients (27 months) than those with elevated CRP (18 months) (log-rank 0.038). The median DFS was higher in normal CRP patients (17 months) than those with elevated CRP (9 months) (log-rank &#x3c; 0.001). Predictive factors for OS included BMI, CRP, adjuvant therapy, positive lymph nodes, and microvascular invasion. Predictive factors for DFS included CRP, positive lymph nodes, and microvascular invasion. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Preoperative CRP was an independent poor prognostic factor for OS and DFS of patients with resected PDAC.