A preoperative predictive scoring system to predict the ability to achieve the critical view of safety during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop a preoperative scoring system to predict the ability to achieve the critical view of safety (CVS) in patients undergoing emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for acute cholecystitis (AC).

METHODS: A retrospective review of patients who underwent LC for AC between 2012 and 2015 was performed. The achievement or failure of creating the CVS was judged by operative records, video recordings, and interviews of the surgeons. Independent preoperative variables associated with failure were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis and a prediction scoring system created.

RESULTS: A C-reactive protein (CRP) >5.5 mg/dl, gallstone impaction, and symptom onset to operation >72 h were identified as independently correlated risk factors for the failure to achieve the CVS. A preoperative risk scoring system for the failure to create the CVS (0-5 points) was constructed using these 3 factors: CRP >5.5 mg/dl (2 points), gallstone impaction (1 points), and time from symptom onset to operation >72 h (2 points). When monitoring the frequency of patients who had a failure to create the CVS at each score, the incidence of failure increased as the score increased (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Using only three preoperative factors, the proposed scoring system provides an objective evaluation of the likelihood that CVS can be achieved in patients undergoing emergency LC for AC.