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Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in obese and nonobese patients
N Gatsoulis1, S Koulas, G Kiparos
1Surgical Department, District General Hospital of Corfu, Greece. gats@ker.forthnet.gr
Background:
From November 1997 to November 1998, 145 cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) have been attempted at the District General Hospital of Corfu.
Methods:
23 (15.8%) were obese (Group I, BMI >30) and 122 (84.2%) were nonobese patients (Group II, BMI < or =30). One-fifth of these patients suffered from acute cholecystitis.
Results:
Operative time averaged 95 minutes in Group I and 78 minutes in Group II. There were no deaths. There were no significant differences between the obese and nonobese groups in conversion to open procedure (Group I: 0%, Group II: 2.4%), intraoperative and postoperative complications (Group I: 4.3%, Group II: 4.0%), operating time, and length of postoperative hospitalization.
Conclusion:
LC was a safe and effective treatment for obese patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis.