The MANGO Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Managing Gallstone Disease in the Elderly: Comparing Quality of Life and Outcomes after Operative and Non-Operative Treatment
IRAS ID
301556
Contact name
Simon Toh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Patient over 70 are very commonly admitted to hospital with problems caused by gallstones, such as pain, infection, jaundice and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas, a digestive organ which can get blocked by gallstones). Some people have their gallbladder removed during their initial admission and others are treated first with medical therapy (such as antibiotics or an endoscopy) then brought back later to have their gallbladder removed as a planned (or “elective”) operative. This usually prevents further problems caused by gallstones. A third group of patients may not be offered surgery at all, usually because they are elderly, frail or have other medical problems which make surgery more risky. Very little is known about what happens to these patients – such as whether the gallstones do cause more problems and how this affects their quality of life. This study aims to follow up patients who were admitted to hospital with gallstone disease to assess how this has affected them for up to three years after their initial diagnosis and compare those who did and those who didn’t have surgery. Patients will be contacted regularly to ask whether they have any ongoing symptoms and how this affects their quality of life. This is an observational study which will not affect which treatment each patient receives – this will be decided as normal by the team treating them in hospital. A better understanding of what happens to patients after surgical and non-surgical treatment would allow doctors to have more informed discussions with patients about the likely outcomes of each treatment and improve their ability to make a joint decision about whether surgery is the best option.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
22/NS/0026
Date of REC Opinion
1 Mar 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion