Laparoscopic management of gallbladder disease in children and adolescents

Between July 1991 and April 1996, 40 children and adolescents age 17 or less underwent laparoscopic management of their gallbladder disease. Twenty-eight patients were females and 12 were males. Their average age was 12.7 years (range 2-17 years), and average weight was 50 kilograms, range 12.2-95.9 kilograms. Nine patients had gallstone pancreatitis and seven patients had sickle cell disease. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in all patients with or without modifications of the standard technique dictated by the size of the patient.

The practice of intraoperative cholangiogram varied with the practicing surgeon. Those with clinical or biochemical evidence of common bile duct obstruction underwent preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to rule out other causes of hyperbilirubinemia and/or therapy for choledocholithiasis if present. Patients with unsuccessful intraoperative cholangiogram were followed clinically and were subjected to postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography should they develop clinical or biochemical evidence of common bile duct obstruction. Thirty-six patients were completed laparoscopically (90%). Four patients were converted to open cholecystectomy (10%). Four patients required preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and were successfully treated. Postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was unsuccessful in one patient who required the procedure because of retained common bile duct stone. Four patients suffered complications (10%). Three patients continued to have abdominal pain that was not helped with surgery.

Based on our experience, laparoscopic cholecystectomy with preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography if required, is safe and effective in management of gallbladder disease in children and adolescents. However, careful preoperative evaluation is required to avoid persistent postoperative abdominal pain.