Cholecystectomy First vs Sequential Common Bile Duct Imaging + Cholecystectomy (CCK first)

An Open Randomized Study Comparing Emergency Cholecystectomy First Versus Sequential Common Bile Duct Imaging/Cholecystectomy for the Management of Gallstone Migration

The purpose of this study is to evaluate if cholecystectomy first (studied group) versus sequential common bile duct imaging/cholecystectomy (control group) result in a decrease of hospital stay, morbidity/mortality and costs in the management of patients with a suspicion of gallstone migration.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cholecystitis; Cholelithiasis
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Emergency cholecystectomy first; Procedure: Sequential common bile duct imaging/cholecystectomy

Detailed Description

Emergency cholecystectomy is nowadays an accepted surgical procedure routinely performed worldwide. The main indications include acute cholecystitis, cholangitis and gallstone migration. Abnormal liver function tests upon admission and suspicion for accompanying common bile duct (CBD) stone can delay the surgical management due to the need for further investigations and/or therapeutic maneuvers. These procedures include magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography (MRCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP).

While useful to detect or exclude potential CBD stones, these procedures include inherent risks, delay the surgical treatment, extend hospital stay and as a result, increase the overall medical costs. They can also potentially increase the morbidity and/or mortality by delaying emergency cholecystectomy (due to the presence of more local inflammation and adherence). Finally, more and more centers perform systematic intra-operative cholangiogram during cholecystectomies (laparoscopic or open), which allow an accurate assessment of the CBD and potentially lead to its subsequent exploration (endoscopic or surgical).

In this study, the investigators will assess the following hypotheses:

• Patients with a SUSPICION of gallstone migration (with or without associated cholecystitis) should undergo emergency cholecystectomy with intra-operative cholangiogram (IOC) first
• "Cholecystectomy first" strategy will decrease both the length of hospital stay and the morbidity/mortality by decreasing the number of unnecessary EUS, MRCP and ERCP and therefore decreasing the overall number of their complications, as well as decreasing the complications related to delayed cholecystectomy (increased adherences due to inflammation, especially in case of associated cholecystitis, which increase the risk of bleeding, CBD lesion, duodenal lesion, gastric lesion, colon lesion, gallbladder perforation and intra-abdominal gallstones spillage with potential

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Geneva, Switzerland, 1211
    • Geneva University Hospitals

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients must have a clinical diagnosis of gallstone migration, defined as right upper quadrant or epigastric abdominal pain and abnormal liver function tests (increase of at least two common hepatic parameters [AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, gGT and/or bilirubin], with one of them being either AST or ALT with a value at least two times higher than the norm) with a reasonable exclusion of other common differential diagnoses
• Patients will be included regardless the presence of an associated cholecystitis, defined as right upper quadrant abdominal pain, radiological signs of cholecystitis (including radiological Murphy sign and/or thickened gallbladder wall and/or free abdominal fluid around the gallbladder) and signs of infection (including fever, increased CRP or white blood cell count)
• Age ≥ 16 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of CBD stone on CT or US performed on admission (which will require ERCP exploration prior to surgery)
• Associated radiologically proven gallstone pancreatitis
• Associated cholangitis
• Medical conditions preventing surgery such as acute stroke, acute coronary syndrome, severe cardiac failure (NYHA class IV and/or respiratory failure with SpO2 < 85% with room air and/or LVEF < 35%), severe COPD with VEMS < 30 % of predicted value
• Medical conditions preventing informed consent
• Patients with contraindications to MRI (MRI-incompatible electronic devices [e.g. pacemakers], implants or prostheses, vascular clips less than 2 weeks, severe claustrophobia) and to EUS/ERCP (surgery with gastric diversion, severe cardiac dysfunction)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cholecystectomy first; Patients enrolled in this arm will undergo emergency cholecystectomy first without any common bile duct imaging	Procedure: Emergency cholecystectomy first; The intervention is an emergency cholecystectomy without prior common bile duct imaging
Active Comparator: Sequential common bile duct imaging/cholecystectomy; Patients enrolled in this arm will undergo common bile duct imaging and, if needed, ERCP first followed by emergency cholecystectomy	Procedure: Sequential common bile duct imaging/cholecystectomy; This intervention is a common bile duct imaging modality and, if needed, ERCP first followed in the same hospital stay by a cholecystectomy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hospital stay [days]	We will evaluate if our "new treatment" arm will have a decreased hospital stay. We do not expect patients to stay more than 30 days.	0 - 30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Morbidity	We will follow-up patients until 6 months after their operation (cholecystectomy) and compare if there is any statistically significant difference between the two arms of the study in terms of morbidity.	6 months
Mortality	We will follow-up patients until 6 months after their operation (cholecystectomy) and compare if there is any statistically significant difference between the two arms of the study in terms of mortality.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Geneva
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Pouya Iranmanesh, MD, University Hospital, Geneva

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Iranmanesh P, Frossard JL, Mugnier-Konrad B, Morel P, Majno P, Nguyen-Tang T, Berney T, Mentha G, Toso C. Initial cholecystectomy vs sequential common duct endoscopic assessment and subsequent cholecystectomy for suspected gallstone migration: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014 Jul;312(2):137-44. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.7587.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 13, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 14, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): December 15, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): August 13, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 12, 2013
• Last Verified: August 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Gallbladder Diseases; Biliary Tract Diseases; Calculi; Cholecystitis; Gallstones; Cholelithiasis; Cholecystolithiasis
• Other Study ID Numbers: CER 11-045 (NAC 11-012)