The purpose of the proposed research is to evaluate the outcomes of gallbladder cryoablation in high-risk surgical candidates with benign gallbladder disease (acute cholecystitis, chronic cholecystitis, biliary dyskinesia, biliary colic).
Specific Aim:
Aim 1: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of gallbladder cryoablation in high-risk surgical candidates. Patients who undergo gallbladder cryoablation will be followed long-term according to standard of care. This includes scheduled clinic follow up, laboratory analysis, and imaging as needed. We hypothesize that gallbladder cryoablation is a safe and effective treatment for high-risk surgical patients with benign gallbladder disease. Clinically, we hypothesize that patients will be free from any clinical symptoms or signs after gallbladder cryoablation and removal of a cholecystostomy tube. These include, but are not limited to right upper quadrant pain, fever, chills, and jaundice.
Aim 2: To evaluate the imaging changes seen in the gallbladder after cryoablation. Imaging is part of routine follow up after percutaneous ablation and may include CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine studies as needed. We hypothesize that after cryoablation, patients will be functionally acholecystic, which occlusion of the cystic duct and involution and fibrosis of the gallbladder demonstrated by imaging.
