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?
3-60 minutes The first 2-3 days following hospital admission 8 days 3 weeks