A STUDY ON CLOSTRIDIUM ENTERITIS DEVELOPED AFTER SURGERY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE

• Published in: Nihon Rinsho Geka Gakkai Zasshi (Journal of Japan Surgical Association) Vol. 65; no. 11; pp. 2843 - 2847
• Main Authors: NAKAYAMA, Takuya, KOBAYASHI, Kenji, TSUBOI, Ken, HATO, Motoki, KAMIYA, Yasuhiro, ITO, Akitoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Surgical Association 2004
• DOI: 10.3919/jjsa.65.2843
• ISSN: 1345-2843

In order to elucidate the risk factors of clostridium difficile colitis, 149 patients undergoing cholecystectomy for benign disease and 371 patients undergoing digestive tract operation from January 1999 to December 2001 are enrolled in this study. We diagnosed the patients as having the disease when they presented with high fever followed by diarrhea after surgery and showed positive response with Clostridium toxin A detection kit. The incidence rate of this disease or diarrhea in the cholecystectomy group was significantly higher than that in the digestive tract operation group. In the cholecystectomy group, no significant differences in background factors such as operative procedure and age were noted between patients with and without symptoms of enteritis. However, a significantly higher incidence rate of the disease was noted in patients received examination or internal treatments including fasting and i. v. drip infusion of antibiotics and H2-blockers than that in preoperatively non-treated patients. There is a recent tendency to select early operation for acute cholecystitis. We think that early operation is desirable in terms of an increasing tendency of risk of postoperative enteritis.