Post Cholecystectomy Syndrome: Literature Review

Background:The aim of this literature review is to identify any potential interrelated factors between patient clinical presentation, their disease profile, and the presence or absence of Post Cholecystectomy Syndrome (PCS).Observations: This review focuses on aetiologies of PCS both within the biliary tree and extra-biliary.Additionally, there is an examination into the management and investigation of someone presenting with this syndrome. Conclusions:The definition of Post-Cholecystectomy Syndrome (PCS) is broad and varies significantly across the literature, encompassing a range of non-specific symptoms that may or may not be linked to or exacerbated by gallbladder removal surgery.There is no consensus on the timing of symptom onset after cholecystectomy, with definitions varying widely and many symptoms not necessarily related to the biliary system.It remains uncertain whether some of these symptoms are directly attributable to the removal of the gallbladder, thus labelling them as a syndrome may be inaccurate.Post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients presenting with pain may actually be suffering from another pathology, and physicians should rule out these conditions before conducting further investigations into the biliary system.The timing of symptom onset is crucial; symptoms developing long after surgery are less likely to be attributed to cholecystectomy.Research indicates that within three years of surgery, non-biliary pathologies are the primary cause of PCS symptoms, whereas biliary-related pathologies become more common beyond three years but are unrelated to the cholecystectomy itself.Therefore, if a patient experiences symptoms of biliary dysfunction after cholecystectomy, the term PCS should prompt further diagnostic evaluation rather than being considered a diagnosis in and of itself.