Correlation between gallbladder size and acute cholecystitis in cholecystectomy specimen: a cross-sectional study

Aim The symptoms of acute cholecystitis can sometimes be misleading, making ultrasound confirmation the most reliable method. More sensitive imaging criteria will be very helpful in managing surgical patients with acute cholecystitis, especially those who also have other health problems. Methods Pathology reports from 1084 patients in the Riyadh area of Saudi Arabia who had laparoscopic cholecystectomy were looked at in a cross-sectional study from January 2009 to December 2018. Gallbladder length, width, and calculated area were recorded and correlated with the pathological findings of acute cholecystitis. Results A bivariate correlation analysis using Spearman’s rho was performed to find out the relationship between gallbladder area and cholecystitis. Hence, when the length of the gallbladder increases by more than 5 cm, the cholecystitis status seems to move towards acute cholecystitis. Conclusion We can link the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis to a gallbladder length of more than 5 cm. This implies that it could serve as a simple and effective radiological test to identify acute cholecystitis in challenging cases.