Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2025
Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration in Patients with a Previous History of Biliary Tract Surgery
Published on: February 10, 2023
The efficacy and safety of using prophylactic abdominal drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized
Ahmad Y Arnaout1, Lama Kadoura2, Ruqaya Masri2
1Faculty of Medicine, Aleppo University Hospital University of Aleppo Aleppo Syrian Arab Republic.
Background:
The use of prophylactic drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been a routine practice for many years. However, the debate surrounding using it stems from conflicting evidence regarding its potential benefits and risks.
Methods:
Patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy from February 1, 2022, to November 30, 2022, at Aleppo University Hospital were enrolled according to our previously registered protocol (NCT05267860).
Results:
This study included 232 patients (117 in the drainage group [DG], and 115 in the non-drainage group [NDG]). There was no statistical difference in the patients' main characteristics, comorbidities, and laboratory findings. The duration of the surgical operation in NDG (mean = 44.92, SD = 1.85) was shorter than in DG (mean 55.14, SD = 2.14), with (p = 0.039) statistically significant, which indicates that the use of the drainage led to a prolongation of the surgical operation. The total number of complicated cases reached 22 (9.48%) cases (DG = 9 vs. NDG = 13, p = 0.348) as follows: bleeding (n = 1) (DG = 1 vs. NDG = 0; p = 0.320), bile leak with no established bile duct injury (n = 1) (DG = 1 vs. NDG = 0; p = 0.320), wound infection (n = 12) (DG = 4 vs. NDG = 8; p = 0.443), urinary tract infection (n = 3) (DG = 0 vs. NDG = 3; p = 0.079), prolonged shoulder pain (n = 2) (DG = 0 vs. NDG = 2; p = 0.152), and acute pancreatitis (n = 1) (DG = 1 vs. NDG = 0; p = 0.144).
Conclusion:
Based on the results of our study, the use of prophylactic drainage was safe, but ineffective, as it did not improve the outcomes statistically significantly or worsen them, which is consistent with previous studies highlighting the need for personalized patient care in this setting.
