Is gender a determinant for the outcome of laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Abstract

Background: Currently, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most desirable procedures to treat symptomatic gallstone disease. Yet, various risk factors govern its conversion to open surgery. The impact of male sex as a risk factor for conversion has been a questionable issue. The study aimed to evaluate the role of male sex on outcomes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods: As per inclusion and exclusion criteria, medical records of all the patients aged 18-70 years who underwent elective LC for a period of 14 months were accessed retrospectively. Data related to patients’ demographic details, intra-operative and post-operative findings was recorded and subjected to analysis.Results: Out of 232 selected cases, 17.67% were males and 82.32% were females. Mean age in both gender groups was similar (p=0.139). Body mass index was also found to be similar in both the groups (p=0.232). There was no significant difference (p=0.85) in the mean operative time between men (29.37±9.29) and women (28.88±15.66). Conversion to open surgery was seen only in female group (1.57%) but it is not significantly from the male group (p=0.42). No significant difference was observed in both groups regarding unwanted intra-operative events (p=0.231) and post-operative complications (p=0.70) and post- operative stay (p=0.50).Conclusions: This study suggests that male gender may not be considered as an independent risk factor for outcome of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, extensive research in future may cast further light on this issue.