EFFICACY OF EARLY VERSUS LATE LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE CHOLECYSTITIS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Acute cholecystitis is one of the main abdominal surgical emergencies, with laparoscopic cholecystectomy considered the gold standard treatment in most cases. However, there are still discussions about the ideal time to perform the surgical procedure. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of early laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared to late laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the treatment of acute cholecystitis, through an integrative literature review. The search was conducted in the PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL), SciELO, and Google Scholar databases, using descriptors related to acute cholecystitis and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Studies published between 2014 and 2025, available in full text, and that directly addressed the comparison between the two surgical approaches were included. The results demonstrated that early laparoscopic cholecystectomy was associated with reduced hospital stay, lower recurrence of biliary symptoms, decreased hospital readmissions, and faster functional recovery. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in postoperative complication rates when compared to the late approach. It is concluded that early laparoscopic cholecystectomy presents greater clinical and hospital efficacy, establishing itself as a safe and recommended therapeutic strategy for the management of acute cholecystitis.