The following is a summary of the “Cholecystectomy prior to short bowel syndrome does not alter nutritional prognosis” published in the November 2022 issue of Surgery by Thompson et al.

In individuals with small bowel syndrome (SBS), prior cholecystectomy is typical. However, the effects of cholecystectomy on nutrition were mainly unclear. In SBS patients, an intact gallbladder helps avoid cirrhosis. For a study, researchers sought to assess the impact of cholecystectomy prior to SBS on the requirement for continuous parenteral nutrition (PN).

They looked at 485 adult patients with SBS, 267 of whom had cholecystectomy previous to SBS, and 218 of whom had an intact gallbladder. The results of nutritional testing were compared to demographic information and intestinal architecture.

Patients who underwent cholecystectomy prior to SBS were more likely to experience postoperative SBS and have a BMI>35. The first year’s surgical rehabilitation operations were carried out similarly in terms of intestinal residual length, anatomical type, and performance. Between the two groups, there was often no discernible difference in the requirement for PN >1 year. The requirement for PN > 1 year did not between the two groups differ significantly in any particular category of intestinal residual length or intestinal morphology.

No matter the length or type of the intestinal remnant, a cholecystectomy performed before the onset of SBS had no effect on the nutritional prognosis of SBS.

Reference: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(22)00435-4/fulltext