OBJECTIVE: Acute cholecystitis is still a problem of liver disease in children. Cholecystitis causes an increasing of the bilirubin level. One of the target of therapy is reducing the blockage caused by the inflammatory process in the ductal lumen. The study aimed to determine the result of methylprednisolone therapy in pediatric patients with Acute Cholecystitis in Saiful Anwar General Hospital.
METODS: A cohort study was conducted to cholecystitis patients in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology Center in Saiful Anwar General Hospital in 2018-2019. Patients were diagnosed by physical examination, laboratory, and abdominal ultrasonography. The diagnosis was confirmed by abdominal ultrasonography. Patients were defined as total and direct bilirubin levels above 5 mg/dL.
RESULT: Sixteen patients with registered acute cholecystitis. These patients before receiving therapy, the average of total and direct bilirubin level was 13.22 and 11.26, respectively. After therapy, the average of total and direct bilirubin level was 4.93% (62.7%) and 4.5 (60.03%), respectively. They were mostly boys (56.3% or 9 boys). The average age was 4 months, the youngest was 0.23 months (27 days) and the oldest was 24 months. There was a correlation between the administration of intravenous methylprednisolone dose 2 mg/kg/day with reducing bilirubin level in pediatric patients with acute cholecystitis (p <0.000).
CONCLUSION: Intravenous methylprednisolone was effective in reducing total and direct bilirubin level in pediatric patients with acute cholecystitis.