Magnetic Resonance Cholangiography and Intraoperative Cholangiography in Acute Cholecystitis

The treatment of choice for acute cholecystitis is cholecystectomy performed as soon as possible after onset of symptoms. Up to 9-22% of patients undergoing cholecystectomy due to cholecystitis have common bile duct stones. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) can aid in technical planning of the operation. Intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) is another method to assess anatomy and stones during operation. There is a lack of quality studies comparing findings of MRCP and IOC and effect on hospital admission. The aim of this study is to systematically assess the quality of MRCP and IOC in acute cholecystitis, and observe the effect of routine MRCP on surgery outcomes, length of hospital stay, hospital admission costs, and evaluate whether routine IOC could be replaced by MRCP.