FREQUENCY OF INCIDENTAL CARCINOMA GALL BLADDER IN CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Objective: To determine the frequency of incidental gall bladder carcinoma in patients of a tertiary care hospital undergoing cholecystectomy. Methodology: This descriptive case series was carried out at Department of General Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad from 1st January, 2012 to 30th June, 2014. The histopathology reports of 1003 patients undergoing cholecystectomy (either by laparoscopic or open) were reviewed retrospectively and 940 patients fulfilling our criteria were included. Results: Gall bladder adenocarcinoma was detected in only two patients (0.21%) undergoing cholecystectomy. Male to Female ratio was 1:1 and the mean age was 68.5 years for incidental carcinoma patients. One patient had a pre-malignant porcelain gall bladder while the rest of 937 histopathology results were benign. Conclusion: In this single institute study, the frequency of incidental gall bladder carcinoma was found to be 0.21 % and that too in elderly patients.