A 48-year-old man is admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain, tenderness in the right hypochondrium, and a WBC count of 12,000. A HIDA scan fails to show the gallbladder after 4 hours. Acute cholecystitis is established. After diagnosis, cholecystectomy should be performed within which of the following?

Early after the onset of acute cholecystitis, the plane of dissection may be facilitated because of early inflammatory response. Between the seventh and fourteenth day after admission, surgery may be extremely difficult because of resolving infection and adhesions. Where possible surgery should be avoided during this period.