ArticleAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2023
Subtotal cholecystectomy: is it a safe option for difficult gall bladders?
Article in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Postoperative outcomes of reconstituting versus fenestrating subtotal cholecystectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.BMC surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Subtotal vs total cholecystectomy for difficult gallbladders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.American journal of surgery · 2024Pooled it
- Cystic duct management in subtotal cholecystectomy: is closure necessary?Surgery today · 2026Article
- Successful ERCP guided rescue cystic duct embolization for the persistent bile leak after subtotal cholecystectomy: a case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2026Article
- Management, evolution and risk factors of bile leaks after subtotal cholecystectomies: a cohort study in Quito, Equador.Arquivos brasileiros de cirurgia digestiva : ABCD = Brazilian archives of digestive surgery · 2026Article
- Subtotal cholecystectomy for difficult gall bladder due to chronic cholecystitis: a retrospective cohort study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- Outcomes of laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy: a comparative analysis of fenestrating and reconstituting approaches in 170 cases.Surgical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Review of the Literature on Partial Resections of the Gallbladder, 1898-2022: The Outline of the Conception of Subtotal Cholecystectomy and a Suggestion to Use the Terms 'Subtotal Open-Tract Cholecystectomy' and 'Subtotal Closed-Tract Cholecystectomy'.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSubtotal cholecystectomy (STC) is an alternative to total cholecystectomy (TC) in patients with severe inflammation/adhesions around the hepatocystic triangle. This study aimed to evaluate the safety profile of STC.
methodsWe retrospectively reviewed all patients who had STC at our unit between February 2009 and August 2019. STC was divided into two types, reconstituting (R-STC) and fenestrating (F-STC), depending on whether the gall bladder remnant was closed or left open. Patients who had cholecystectomy for gall bladder malignancy or as part of another operation were excluded from the study.
resultsA total of 5,664 patients underwent cholecystectomy during the study period. Of these, 97 (1.7%) underwent STC. The laparoscopic to open conversion rate was high at 48.8% (47 cases), as was the overall postoperative complication rate (45.4%, 44 cases). No patient suffered iatrogenic bile duct injury. Nineteen patients (19.6%) suffered postoperative bile leak. This was significantly higher in patients who had STC in the acute setting (41% vs 13% for elective STC cases;
conclusionsSTC seems to be an effective technique to avoid bile duct injury in difficult cholecystectomy cases. However, the perioperative morbidity associated with STC is relatively high. Surgeons should be aware of the risks of STC and take appropriate steps to minimise them.
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