Cholecystectomy during pregnancy

Abstract

While cholecystitis has definitely been associated with pregnancy, performance of cholecystectomy during pregnancy seem to be a rare occurrence. To document this observation we reviewed the records of all cholecystectomies performed during a 10-year period on women between the ages of 16 and 45 in a university hospital and a busy community hospital. Six of the 749 cholecystectomies performed at the university hospital occurred during pregnancies of from four to 26 weeks' gestation. Four of the patients were operated on emergently after an average of one week of conservation management. In no instance did the operation induce premature labor or abortion. Operative cholangiography was performed in four of the patients without detriment to the fetus. This review indicates that the need to perform cholecystectomy during pregnancy is rare, but that it can be performed with minimal risk to the fetus regardless of gestation.