Background: The question of a selective approach to sending all gallbladders for histology following cholecystectomy has been postulated in many journals but as yet no guidelines have been published in light of such concern. This project will attempt to analyse and address the controversy surrounding sending all gallbladders for histology following cholecystectomy. Objective: To ascertain whether there is a feasible and safe alternative to sending all gallbladders to histology following cholecystectomy and to challenge such a hypothesis. Design: Retrospective study. Methods: Analysis of gallbladder pathology reports, patient medical records and computerised test results from cholecystectomies done in the last 5 years within the Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust. Results: The alternative selective method based on pre-operative investigations and intra-operative macroscopic detail is shown to be significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The results from this study show that there is safe and efficient way of selecting which gallbladders are sent for histology based on age, pre-surgical suspicion and intra-operative macroscopic abnormalities.
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