Published online Jul 16, 2015. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v3.i7.599
Peer-review started: October 29, 2014
First decision: December 12, 2014
Revised: March 10, 2015
Accepted: April 10, 2015
Article in press: April 14, 2015
Published online: July 16, 2015
Processing time: 273 Days and 1.1 Hours
The knowledge of gallstone disease (GSD) is crucial to manage this condition when organizing screening and preventive strategies and identifying the appropriated clinical therapies. Although cholecystectomy still be the gold standard treatment for patients with symptomatic GSD, expectant management could be viewed as a valid therapeutic method for this disorder. If early treatment of GSD decreases the morbidity or avoids further cholecystectomy, it may save clinical care costs in later disease periods sufficiently to offset the screening and early treatment costs. In addition, whether routine screening for GSD is worthwhile depends on whether patients are willing to pay the ultrasonography screening cost that would reduce the risk of cholecystectomy. In this review we discuss the epidemiology, management, and economic evaluation of screening of GSD among type 2 diabetics.
Core tip: According to the willingness-to-pay viewpoint, this review indicated that from the societal perspective but not from consumer viewpoint, it is worthwhile to organize a routine ultrasonography screening for gallstone disease in diabetic population for further cholecystectomy prevention.