Comparison of laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus elective open cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has essentially replaced open cholecystectomy as the procedure of choice for gallbladder disease. This rapid shift to laparoscopic cholecystectomy, however, has resulted more from marketing forces than from prospective clinical trials. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the first 486 laparoscopic cholecystectomies at two institutions were studied. These results were then compared to the results of the last 6 months of elective open cholecystectomy cases prior to the introduction of laparoscopic surgery. The age, sex, height, and weight were similar in both groups. The mean operative time was 78.8 +/- 1.8 min for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 62.7 +/- 2.6 min for open cholecystectomy (p < 0.01). The mean time for tolerating a regular diet was 1.23 +/- 0.04 days in the laparoscopic group versus 2.44 +/- 0.07 days in the open group (p < 0.01). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients required only oral pain medications by a mean of 1.22 +/- 0.03 days postoperatively compared to 2.55 +/- 0.07 days postoperatively for those undergoing open cholecystectomy (p < 0.01). The mean length of hospitalization was 1.58 +/- 0.07 days for laparoscopic patients and 3.55 +/- 0.11 days for open patients (p < 0.01). Thirty-one patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were converted to open cholecystectomy (6.4%). The most common reasons for conversion to open cholecystectomy were acute inflammation, adhesions, and bleeding. For the laparoscopic patients, the morbidity rate was 8.4% and the mortality rate 0.2% (1 death). In the open cholecystectomy group the morbidity rate was 8.0% and there were no deaths. The most troublesome complication in laparoscopic cholecystectomies continues to be bile leaks and bile duct injuries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)