Lessons Learned After 101 Cases of Single-Site Magnetic-Assisted Cholecystectomy in Children

The aim of this report is to present our experience with a magnetic-assisted single-site cholecystectomy technique ("magnachole") in pediatric patients.

We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent magnachole between 2009 and 2019. We evaluated patients' demographics, diagnosis, operative time, complications, conversion rate and length of stay. Additionally, simple lineal regression analysis was conducted to determine if the surgeon's experience, the patient's age at surgery, the patient's gender or the patient's body weight affected operative time.

A total of 101 patients were operated during the analyzed period. The mean age at surgery was 12.6 (range 4 to 19) years, and the mean body weight was 53.7 (range 13.5 to 123) kg. The most frequent indication (91%) was symptomatic cholelithiasis. Mean operative time was 85 (range 45 to 240) min. The mean operative time decreased by 22.7 min (p < 0.001, 95% [CI] 10.35 to 35.13) when we compared the first 51 cases to the last 50 cases. Simple lineal regression showed a reduction of 2.6 min in operative time per year. Age at surgery, gender, and weight did not influence operative time. There were no intraoperative complications. Only 1 case required an additional port to complete the operation. There were no conversions to open cholecystectomy. Median length of stay was 26 h (range 10 to 168).

The magnachole technique is safe and effective, and has become our preferred surgical approach for children who need a cholecystectomy. As expected, the operative time decreased as surgeons gain experience with the technique. The technique is feasible regardless of the patient's body habitus.

Treatment study.

Level IV.