Benign Gallbladder Research Articles

Cost-effectiveness analysis of robotic cholecystectomy in the treatment of benign gallbladder disease

BackgroundLaparoscopic cholecystectomy is the current standard of care treatment for benign gallbladder disease. Robotic cholecystectomy is another approach for performing cholecystectomy that offers a surgeon better dexterity and visualization. However, robotic cholecystectomy may increase cost without sufficient evidence to suggest an improvement in clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to construct a decision tree model to compare cost-effectiveness of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and robotic cholecystectomy. MethodsComplication rates and effectiveness associated with robotic cholecystectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy over a 1-year time frame were compared using a decision tree model populated with data from the published literature. Cost was calculated using Medicare data. Effectiveness was represented by quality-adjusted life-years. The primary outcome of the study was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, which compares the cost per quality-adjusted life-year of the 2 interventions. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $100,000/quality-adjusted life-year. Results were confirmed with 1-way, 2-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses varying branch-point probabilities. ResultsThe studies used in our analysis included 3,498 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 1,833 patients who underwent robotic cholecystectomy, and 392 patients who required conversion to open cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy produced 0.9722 quality-adjusted life-years, costing $9,370.06. Robotic cholecystectomy produced an additional 0.0017 quality-adjusted life-years at an additional $3,013.64. These results equate to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $1,795,735.21/quality-adjusted life-year. This exceeds the willingness-to-pay threshold, making laparoscopic cholecystectomy the more cost-effective strategy. Sensitivity analyses did not alter results. ConclusionTraditional laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the more cost-effective treatment modality for benign gallbladder disease. At present, robotic cholecystectomy is not able to improve clinical outcomes enough to justify its added cost.

The mystery of post-cholecystectomy persistent bile leak: a case report.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is commonly performed for benign gallbladder diseases. Biliary leak is the most common complication of bile duct injury following this surgery. We report a case of persistent bile leak following the procedure despite endoscopic and radiological management. A female patient presented to the hepatopancreatobiliary unit of the Bahria International Hospital (Orchard), Lahore, with complaint of persistent bile leakage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed elsewhere. She had been investigated in various hospitals but the cause of the persistent bile leak remained a mystery and she was offered surgery. After real time fluoroscopic contrast enhanced imaging, further confirmed by a Computerised Tomography (CT) Scan of the abdomen, it was revealed that the persistent bile leak in the drain was due to iatrogenic injury of the duodenum secondary to percutaneous catheter insertion. The patient was managed non-surgically. She remained stable. This is a rare complication of one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the world.

A comparative study of laparoscopic cholecystectomy with and without abdominal drain

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has been considered the Gold-standard for the management of benign gallbladder disease. With increasing surgeon experience and advancement of instrumentations and equipment, LC is approaching continuously toward a more safe and less invasive technique. There is a consensus that drainage should not be considered mandatory or standard after elective LC. Aims and Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess the effectiveness of the LC without abdominal drain over sub hepatic drainage and to compare the post-operative outcome between two groups. Materials and Methods: A descriptive observational comparison study has been carried out in the department of General Surgery BSMCH, from September 1, to December 1, in 130 patients undergoing elective LC. Patients have been divided into two groups: Comparison group and study group after proper matching. Data have been collected via interview, clinical examination, and scrutinizing relevant medical records. Each patient has been followed up after operation. Data have been summarized for estimating various parameters such as mean duration of surgery and hospital stay between the groups and proportion of patient complaining of pain 24 h after surgery. Results: The mean duration of surgery in drainage group is 108 min which is significantly more than the non-drainage group 88 min. In this present study, the patients with abdominal drain are showing more incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) 21.53% compared to no-drain group 6.15%. In this study, 35.38% of patients with subhepatic drain developed pain after surgery, whereas only 12.3% of the patients with no drain experienced the same. Overall six patients from the drain group still had significant subhepatic collection and eight patients with no drain have the same. The mean duration of stay in hospital of the drain group is 4.06 days, whereas, in no-drain group, it is 2.26. Conclusion: An uncomplicated gallstone disease can be treated by LC without need for drain with reasonable safety by an experienced surgeon. Hence, no use of drain scores over use of drain in terms of PONV, post-operative pain, and therefore, there is less use of analgesics and also short duration of hospital stay. When a dry operative field is achieved during LC the drain insertion may be avoided.

The value of CT findings combined with inflammatory indicators for preoperative differentiation of benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions

BackgroundThe study aimed to explore the value of CT findings and inflammatory indicators in differentiating benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions before surgery.MethodsThe study comprised a total of 113 pathologically confirmed gallbladder polypoid lesions with a maximum diameter ≥ 1 cm (68 benign and 45 malignant), all of which were enhanced CT-scanned within 1 month before surgery. The CT findings and inflammatory indicators of the patients were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent predictors of gallbladder polypoid lesions, and then a nomogram distinguishing benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions was developed by combining these characteristics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve were plotted to assess the performance of the nomogram.ResultsBase status of the lesion (p < 0.001), plain CT value (p < 0.001), neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (p = 0.041), and monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) (p = 0.022) were independent predictors of malignant polypoid lesions of the gallbladder. The nomogram model established by incorporating the above factors had good performance in differentiating and predicting benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions (AUC = 0.964), with sensitivity and specificity of 82.4% and 97.8%, respectively. The DCA demonstrated the important clinical utility of our nomogram.ConclusionCT findings combined with inflammatory indicators can effectively differentiate benign and malignant gallbladder polypoid lesions before surgery, which is valuable for clinical decision-making.

The mystery of post-cholecystectomy persistent bile leak: a case report

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is commonly performed for benign gallbladder diseases. Biliary leak is the most common complication of bile duct injury following this surgery. We report a case of persistent bile leak following the procedure despite endoscopic and radiological management. A female patient presented to the hepatopancreatobiliary unit of the Bahria International Hospital (Orchard), Lahore, with complaint of persistent bile leakage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed elsewhere. She had been investigated in various hospitals but the cause of the persistent bile leak remained a mystery and she was offered surgery. After real time fluoroscopic contrast enhanced imaging, further confirmed by a Computerised Tomography (CT) Scan of the abdomen, it was revealed that the persistent bile leak in the drain was due to iatrogenic injury of the duodenum secondary to percutaneous catheter insertion. The patient was managed non-surgically. ---Continue

Imaging of benign gallbladder and biliary pathologies in pregnancy.

The rising incidence combined with pregnancy-related physiological changes make gallbladder and biliary pathology high on the differential for pregnant patients presenting with right upper abdominal pain. Imaging plays a crucial role in determining surgical versus non-surgical management in pregnant patients with biliary or gallbladder pathology. Ultrasound (first-line) and magnetic resonance with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (second-line) are the imaging techniques of choice in pregnant patients with suspected biliary pathology due to their lack of ionizing radiation. MRI/MRCP offers an excellent non-invasive imaging option, providing detailed anatomical detail without known harmful fetal side effects. This article reviews physiological changes in pregnancy that lead to gallstone and biliary pathology, key imaging findings on US and MRI/MRCP, and management pathways.

The Value of Deep Learning in Gallbladder Lesion Characterization

The similarity of gallbladder cancer and benign gallbladder lesions brings challenges to diagnosing gallbladder cancer (GBC). This study investigated whether a convolutional neural network (CNN) could adequately differentiate GBC from benign gallbladder diseases, and whether information from adjacent liver parenchyma could improve its performance. Consecutive patients referred to our hospital with suspicious gallbladder lesions with histopathological diagnosis confirmation and available contrast-enhanced portal venous phase CT scans were retrospectively selected. A CT-based CNN was trained once on gallbladder only and once on gallbladder including a 2 cm adjacent liver parenchyma. The best-performing classifier was combined with the diagnostic results based on radiological visual analysis. A total of 127 patients were included in the study: 83 patients with benign gallbladder lesions and 44 with gallbladder cancer. The CNN trained on the gallbladder including adjacent liver parenchyma achieved the best performance with an AUC of 0.81 (95% CI 0.71-0.92), being >10% better than the CNN trained on only the gallbladder (p = 0.09). Combining the CNN with radiological visual interpretation did not improve the differentiation between GBC and benign gallbladder diseases. The CT-based CNN shows promising ability to differentiate gallbladder cancer from benign gallbladder lesions. In addition, the liver parenchyma adjacent to the gallbladder seems to provide additional information, thereby improving the CNN's performance for gallbladder lesion characterization. However, these findings should be confirmed in larger multicenter studies.

Rapid Identification of Benign Gallbladder Diseases Using Serum Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Combined with Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

In this study, we looked at the viability of utilizing serum to differentiate between gallbladder (GB) stones and GB polyps using Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which has the potential to be a quick and accurate means of diagnosing benign GB diseases. Rapid and label-free SERS was used to conduct the tests on 148 serum samples, which included those from 51 patients with GB stones, 25 patients with GB polyps and 72 healthy persons. We used an Ag colloid as a Raman spectrum enhancement substrate. In addition, we employed orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and principal component linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) to compare and diagnose the serum SERS spectra of GB stones and GB polyps. The diagnostic results showed that the sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC) values of the GB stones and GB polyps based on OPLS-DA algorithm reached 90.2%, 97.2%, 0.995 and 92.0%, 100%, 0.995, respectively. This study demonstrated an accurate and rapid means of combining serum SERS spectra with OPLS-DA to identify GB stones and GB polyps.

Scope of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Patient with History of Previous Upper Abdominal Surgery

Introduction: In recent years, laparoscopy's role in treating benign gallbladder and biliary tract diseases has been well confirmed. Objective: The main objective of the study is to find the scope of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patient with history of previous upper abdominal surgery. Material and methods: This retrospective study was conducted in khyber medical center Peshawar during June 2022 to December 2022. An informed consent was obtained from each patient included in the study. The primary outcomes of the current study involves incidence rate of intraoperative biliary injury and the secondary outcome of the study includes postoperative strictures, bile leaks, hernia, infections, postoperative need for reoperation or drainage. Results: A total of 316 cholecystectomies were performed. Out of these 28 were performed with other hepatobiliary or bariatric operations. The remaining subjects 288, out of which 212 did not show severe cholecystitis and the remaining 76 had severe cholecystitis. 51 patients with severe cholecystitis had LC and 22 were treated with LSC out of those 3 went through open cholecystectomy and were excluded from the study. Practical Implication: This study will helps us in hospitals in Laparoscopic cholecystectomy because it’s a safe method and procedure. Conclusion: It is concluded that Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a feasible and safe treatment for symptomatic gallstone disease in selected patients with previous upper abdominal surgery history. Keywords: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, Procedure, Patients, Abdominal

Two-dimensional Shear Wave Elastography: Utility in Differentiating Gallbladder Cancer From Chronic Cholecystitis.

To study the utility of 2D shear wave elastography (SWE) and ascertain cut-off values of shear wave elasticity (SWe) to differentiate benign and malignant thickening of the gallbladder wall. This study was a prospective study of patients with symptomatic gallstone disease (GSD, n=51) and gallbladder cancer (GBC, n=46) and controls without any biliary disease (n=46). All the participants underwent 2D USG and SWE of the gallbladder. Grey-scale ultrasound and SWE were done in the different regions in the gallbladder. The median age of the patients with GSD was 49 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 33-55), GBC was 55 years (IQR: 46-65), and controls was 37 years (IQR: 27-48.25). In patients with GBC, asymmetrical mural thickening was the predominant imaging pattern (n=24, 52.2%). The mean SWe of the abnormal area in GBC (34.99 ± 17.77 kPa [n=46]) was significantly higher than that of the uninvolved region (18.27 ± 8.12 kPa [n=35]; P < .01). The mean SWe of the uninvolved region in GBC (18.27 ± 8.12 kPa [n=35]) was also significantly higher (P < .01) than that of GSD (12.27 ± 4.13 kPa [n=51]) and controls (10.52 ± 3.75 kPa [n=46]). On ROC analysis, AUC of 0.927, at a cut-off of 20 kPa, sensitivity was 91.3%, specificity was 83.5%, positive likelihood ratio was 5.54, and negative likelihood ratio was 0.10 to diagnose GBC. The 2D SWE is a reliable adjunctive tool to grey-scale USG in differentiating the malignant from benign gallbladder wall and may help to pick up early malignancy in GSD.

Robotic single-site cholecystectomy is better in reducing postoperative pain than single-incision and conventional multiport laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

To compare the short-term outcomes of robotic single-site cholecystectomy (RSSC) with single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) and conventional multiport laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CMLC), focusing on postoperative pain outcomes. This single-center retrospective study included consecutive patients with benign gallbladder disease who underwent cholecystectomy by a single surgeon between June 2019 and December 2021. Exclusion criteria were acute cholecystitis (AC) and other combined surgeries. One-to-one propensity score matching was performed between the RSSC and SILC or CMLC. Of the 157 patients included, 39 (24.8%) underwent RSSC, 32 (20.4%) underwent SILC, and 86 (54.8%) underwent CMLC. In a propensity score-matched cohort between RSSC and SILC (32 patients in each group), the number of additional analgesic injections was significantly lower in the RSSC group than in the SILC group (0.7 vs. 1.3, p = 0.002), and postoperative pain scores were also significantly lower at 6h (2.8 vs. 3.6, p = 0.004) and 24h (2.6 vs. 3.3, p = 0.021) after surgery in the RSSC group than in the SILC group. In a propensity score-matched cohort between RSSC and CMLC (23 patients in each group), the number of additional analgesic injections was significantly lower in the RSSC group than in the CMLC group (0.7 vs. 1.3, p = 0.005), and postoperative pain scores were also significantly lower at 6h after surgery (2.9 vs. 3.7, p = 0.025) in the RSSC group than in the CMLC group. This study demonstrated that RSSC is helpful in reducing postoperative pain and the use of additional analgesics compared to both SILC and CMLC.

Propensity Score Matched Comparison of Robotic Single-Site and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

To demonstrate the feasibility and potential of robotic single-site cholecystectomy, the study aimed to compare it with conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In total, 791 consecutive patients underwent conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy or robotic single-site cholecystectomy at our center between 2019 and 2022. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 117 patients for each group were selected. After propensity score matching, the only statistically significant difference between conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy and robotic single-site cholecystectomy was operative time, which was 29.15 ±11.45 min in the conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy group versus 38.57 ± 12.59 min in the robotic single-site cholecystectomy group (P < 0.001). Because the difference in surgical time between the two groups was minimal, it has little clinical relevance. Using cumulative sum analysis, the maturation phase of the total operation and docking times occurred after the 53rd case. To reduce bias, a comparison of results with conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy and cases of robotic single-site cholecystectomy was performed in the maturation phase, which revealed only total operative time as statistically significant (P < 0.001). Robotic single-site cholecystectomy is a technically feasible and safe method for treating benign gallbladder diseases, with a relatively short learning curve and reasonable operative time.

Robotic-assisted approach for complex cholecystectomies

Robotic approaches have facilitated the minimally invasive completion of increasingly complex surgical procedures. In the management of the difficult gallbladder, we have found that the wristed instruments, three-dimensional camera, the ability to use indocyanine green (ICG) with integrated fluorescent imaging, and ease of intracorporeal suturing to be useful in tackling the challenges associated with complex benign gallbladder disease. We describe the rationale and technical lessons learned during four cases of complex cholecystectomies that highlight the management principles and technical advantages afforded by the use of the robotic-assisted laparoscopic (RAL) approach. The cases include a subtotal fundus-first reconstituting cholecystectomy, subtotal fenestrating cholecystectomy, a cholecystocolonic fistula managed by a RAL subtotal fenestrating cholecystectomy, and an iatrogenic cholecystoduodenal fistula managed by RAL cholecystectomy. In each case, the operation was performed safely without intraoperative injury or conversion to open, and three of the four patients were discharged from the recovery room. In our view, these favorable outcomes were greatly facilitated by the robotic platform. It is our intent to share adaptations and innovations that we found helpful to encourage other surgeons with sufficient robotic experience to tackle complex gallbladder cases minimally invasively.

SJLA_2024_A13: Utilized Ports in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Is it a Matter of Numbers? A Systematic

Introduction and Background: The past decade has witnessed a paradigm shift in surgical interventions, with minimally invasive surgery is superior to the traditional open approach for several conditions, including the management of benign gallbladder diseases. The widespread acceptance and popularity of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in fact, can be explained by the significant reduction in associated morbidity and faster recovery to daily activities, in comparison to the classic open approach. The current systematic review is the first to provide comparative outcomes by summarizing the previously published systematic reviews in a comprehensive and objective pattern. It aims to illustrate evidence regarding the intra- and postoperative outcomes of each laparoscopic cholecystectomy approach, as most of the previous publications have only briefly touched upon one or two of them. Methods: The current systematic review is the first to provide comparative outcomes by summarizing the previously published systematic reviews in a comprehensive and objective pattern. It aims to illustrate evidence regarding the intra- and postoperative outcomes of each laparoscopic cholecystectomy approach. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline was meticulously followed to conduct the present systematic review. MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science were searched for eligible publications, and a total of 14 systematic reviews were included. Results: The analysis of our primary and secondary outcomes revealed a statistically significant improvement in esthetic results after single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) in comparison to the multiport approach of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This, however, is accompanied by extended operative timing and subsequently, prolonged exposure to anesthesia. Discussion: Since the introduction of SILC by Navarra et al. in 1997, extensive efforts have been made to prove its safety and feasibility to replace the conventional method of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Previous surgeries involving the abdomen and signs of acute cholecystitis were identified as factors predicting failure of SILC, with success rate limited to 59% in association with acute cholecystitis, as suggested by Antoniou et al. in his systematic review addressing the limitations of the single-incision approach. The associated increase in the length of operative time can be partly explained by the surgeon learning curve as applied to any surgical procedure. Conclusion: Careful selection of candidates undergoing SILC should be present to minimize technical difficulties and prevent related complications both intraoperatively and shortly after the procedure.

The influence of obesity on the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a retrospective analysis.

The increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide has raised concerns about its impact on surgical outcomes across various procedures. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), a common surgical intervention for benign gallbladder disease, is no exception. The relationship between obesity and LC outcomes remains complex and merits further investigation. This retrospective study aimed to assess the influence of obesity on the safety and surgical outcomes of LC. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m²) and non-obese controls (BMI < 30 kg/m²). Baseline characteristics, operative duration, hospitalization length, and post-operative complications, categorized by the Clavien-Dindo classification, were evaluated. Among 116 patients with obesity and 176 non-obese controls, differences in age and gender were noted but were not clinically significant. Operative time was longer in the group with obesity. Hospitalization length and adverse event occurrence did not differ significantly. Importantly, post-operative complications showed no substantial differences between the groups, suggesting that obesity may not significantly increase the complication risk in this population. Obesity may not substantially elevate the risk of adverse events or severe complications following LC in this patient population. Careful patient selection, preoperative evaluation, and surgical technique remain crucial. Further research in larger, diverse populations is needed to validate these findings.

Evaluation of Preoperative Scoring System for Predicting Difficult Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is established as the gold standard for benign gallbladder disease. This study was done for the evaluation of preoperative scoring system given by Randhawa and Pujahari considering various preoperative parameters to predict difficulty in LC. Preoperative prediction of difficult LC using a scoring system considering various preoperative factors in elective/interval LC to predict difficult gallbladder. A prospective study of 120 patients admitted for LC from January 2020 to June 2021 was analyzed. All the patients were evaluated on the basis of Randhawa and Pujahari scoring system with the following variables: age >50 years, male sex, body mass index 25.1-27.5 and >27.5 kg/m2, previous abdominal surgery, prior hospitalization for gallstone disease, palpable gallbladder, gallbladder wall thickening, impacted stone, and pericholecystic collection. Each variable had given a score. Based on these findings, the surgical procedure was defined as easy, difficult, and very difficult. One hundred and twenty cases satisfying the inclusion criteria were studied comparing different variables and assigned preoperative scoring. A score >5 was considered significant and compared with intraoperative findings. Out of 53 patients having preoperative scores >5, 40 were difficult gallbladders and 13 were easy to operate. Prediction came true in 93.0% of difficult cases and 83.1% of easy cases. From this study, we can conclude that the preoperative scoring system is statistically reliable to predict difficulty in LC in the majority of the cases (area under receiver operator characteristics = 0.935).

Complications in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Experiences from A Study of 1425 Cases

Objective: To evaluate the complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the symptomatic cholelithiasis and other benign gall bladder diseases. Methods: This descriptive observational study was carried out at CMH Dhaka and CMH Jashore from March 2016 to Jun 2022, to evaluate the frequency and outcome of management of all the complications in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A total of 1425 patients of laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in this study. Patients were followed up for a period of three months after operation. The complications in laparoscopic cholecystectomy observed in this study were divided into (i) Access related (ii) Intraoperative (biliary and extrabiliary) and (iii) Postoperative. Results: The incidence of access-related, intraoperative or procedure-related biliary, extrabiliary and postoperative complications were 3.64%, 2.95%, 4.98% and 1.96% respectively. Access related complications were extraperitoneal insufflations 1.40%, port site bleeding 1.19%, small bowel laceration 0.21% and transverse colon injury 0.07%.Procedural biliary complications included common bile duct (CBD) injury 0.14%, common hepatic duct (CHD) injury 0.07% and iatrogenic gall bladder perforation with bile leakage 2.74%. Procedural extrabiliary complications were Liver injury 0.56%, duodenal perforation 0.07%, colon perforation 0.07%, bleeding through cystic artery 0.49% and bleeding from gall bladder fossa 1.12%. Two colonic perforations and one duodenal perforation were the major complications encountered in this series. Two colonic perforations required conversion to open procedure but duodenal perforation was managed laparoscopically by intracorporeal suturing. Total nine (0.63%) patients required conversion to open procedure. Postoperative complications included port site infection (PSI) 1.05%, port site hernia 0.56%, major sepsis 0.14% and ischemic stroke 0.07%. There was no retained stone, biliary stricture and mortality reported in this series. Conclusion: Complications in laparoscopic cholecystectomy are mainly due to access related and intraoperative and have their own characteristics.. CBD transaction, CHD injury, Colonic perforations and duodenal perforations were the major complications requiring conversion to open procedure except duodenal perforation which was dealt laparoscopically. Conversion to open procedure should not be considered as a complication. J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2023; 41: 75-81

COMPARISON OF CANCER OR DYSPLASIA FREQUENCY BY AGE GROUPS IN PATIENTS WHO HAD CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Gallbladder carcinomas are the most common malignancy of the biliary tract. Since it does not have specific signs and symptoms, it is mostly detected during cholecystectomy for gallstones. In this direction, we also found dysplasia in 74 of the 530 patients included in our study, and gallbladder carcinoma in 3 patients, in order to show the frequency of dysplasia and carcinoma in patients who underwent cholecystectomy due to benign gallbladder diseases. This is very important in catching gallbladder cancers at an early stage and increasing the success of treatment. For this reason, it is necessary to carefully follow the pathology analysis reports after the operation, even for benign reasons.

Our initial single port robotic cholecystectomy experience: A feasible and safe option for benign gallbladder diseases.

Although single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been performed for over 25 years, it is still not popular. The narrow working space used in this surgery limits the movement of instruments and causes ergonomic challenges. Robotic surgery not only resolves the ergonomic challenges of single-port laparoscopic surgery but is also considered a good option with its additional technical advantages, like a three-dimensional display and not being affected by tremors. However, the extent to which these technical and ergonomic advantages positively affect the surgical outcomes and how safe the single-port robotic surgeries need to be assessed for each particular surgery. To evaluate the feasibility and safety of single-port robotic cholecystectomy for patients with cholelithiasis. The electronic records of the first 40 consecutive patients with gallbladder lithiasis who underwent single-port robotic cholecystectomy from 2013 to 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. In addition to the demographic characteristics of the patients, we analyzed American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores and body mass index. The presence of an accompanying umbilical hernia was also noted. The amount of blood loss during the operation, the necessity to place a drain in the subhepatic area, and the need to use grafts during the closure of the fascia of the port site were determined. Hospital stay, readmission rates, perioperative and postoperative complications, the Clavien-Dindo complication scores and postoperative analgesia requirements were also evaluated. The mean age of the 40 patients included in the study was 49.5 ± 11.6 years, and 26 were female (65.0%). The umbilical hernia was present in 24 (60.0%) patients, with a body mass index median of 29.3 kg/m2 and a mean of 29.7 ± 5.2 kg/m2. Fifteen (37.5%) of the patients were evaluated as ASA I, 18 (45.0%) as ASA II, and 7 (17.5%) as ASA III. The mean bleeding amount during the operation was 58.4 ± 55.8 mL, and drain placement was required in 12 patients (30.0%). After port removal, graft reinforcement during fascia closure was preferred in 14 patients (35.0%). The median operation time was 93.5 min and the mean was 101.2 ± 27.0 min. The mean hospital stay was 1.4 ± 0.6 d, and 1 patient was readmitted to the hospital due to pain (2.5%). Clavien-Dindo I complications were seen in 14 patients (35.0%), and five (12.5%) complications were wound site problems. In addition to the technological and ergonomic advantages robotic surgery provides surgeons, our study strongly supports that single-port robotic cholecystectomy is a feasible and safe option for treating patients with gallstones.

Harmonic Scalpel Versus Clips for Ligation of Cystic Duct in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Systematic Review.

The gold standard treatment for benign gallbladder disease is laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). LC is commonly performed using monopolar diathermy with ligation of the cystic duct and artery with clips. The aim of the current systematic review was to compare harmonic scalpel (HS) with clips in LC.Eligible studies were identified fromPubMed, Cochrane library, Embase and Medline and meta-analysis was conducted usingReview Manager 5.4. The primary outcome evaluated was bile leak while secondary outcomes evaluated were overall postoperative complications, operative time, conversion to open surgery and gall bladder perforation.Eight randomized control trials met the eligibility criteria which included a total of 1,205 patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of bile leak (p = 0.56, I2=0%). With respect to the operative time (p = 0.004, I2=97%), conversion to open surgery(p = 0.02, I2=0%) and gall bladder perforation(p = 0.0001, I2=26%) HS was superior to clips. HS is an acceptable alternative to the use of clips when ligating the cystic duct.