©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Feb 27, 2026; 18(2): 115744
Published online Feb 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i2.115744
Published online Feb 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i2.115744
Defining endpoints in percutaneous cholecystostomy: Catheter management, patient survival, and long-term outcomes from a twelve-year retrospective study
Maryam Hassanesfahani, Dimitrios Giannis, Nana Marfo, Manpreet Kaur, Camille Mai-Phuong Tran Quang, Martine A Louis, Nageswara Rao Mandava, Department of Surgery, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, MediSys Health Network, Flushing, Queens, NY 11355, United States
Andrew Miele, Research, Education & Innovation (REl), MediSys Health Network, Flushing, Queens, NY 11355, United States
Co-first authors: Maryam Hassanesfahani and Dimitrios Giannis.
Author contributions: Hassanesfahani M and Giannis D contributed equally to this work; Hassanesfahani M and Louis MA conceptualized and designed the study, supervised, and made critical revisions; Hassanesfahani M, Giannis D, Marfo N, Kaur M, Quang CMPT, Miele A conducted the extraction, analysis, and interpretation of data; Hassanesfahani M, Giannis D, Louis MA, Mandava NR drafted the original manuscript; all authors read and agreed to the submitted version of the manuscript. Hassanesfahani M and Giannis D contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Flushing Hospital Medical Center Institutional Review Board, No. 2265474-1.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was waived for this retrospective study of de-identified data.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.
Corresponding author: Dimitrios Giannis, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, MediSys Health Network, 4500 Parsons Blvd, Flushing, Queens, NY 11355, United States. dimitrisgiannhs@gmail.com
Received: October 24, 2025
Revised: December 14, 2025
Accepted: December 25, 2025
Published online: February 27, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 16.7 Hours
Revised: December 14, 2025
Accepted: December 25, 2025
Published online: February 27, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 16.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PCT) is commonly used as a bridge or alternative to surgery in high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis, yet optimal timing and catheter management remain uncertain. In this retrospective study of 174 patients, early PCT (≤ 4 days from diagnosis) was associated with significantly higher survival compared to delayed intervention. Despite its clinical benefit, more than half of patients remained catheter-dependent, and only one-third underwent interval cholecystectomy. These findings highlight the need for standardized PCT management protocols and structured follow-up to optimize long-term outcomes in this fragile population.