Early and delayed operation in acute gall-stone disease

In a review of 157 patients admitted to hospital as emergencies with acute gall-stone disease it was found that 52 cases (33.1 per cent) had undergone definitive operation for gall-stones during the emergency admission in spite of an overall conservative policy in relation to operation. The results of these early operations are compared with those of operations delayed to a second admission in other patients of this series. There was no significant difference in mortality or morbidity, but there was a saving on average of 5 days in hospital for those patients who were operated on at the first admission.