Clinical and ultrasonological parameters as pre-operative indicators of difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION: Pre-operative prediction of a difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) can help the patient as well as the surgeon prepare better for the intra-operative risk and the risk of conversion to open cholecystectomy. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of clinical and pre-operative abdominal ultrasonogram parameters as predictors of intra-operative difficulties and complications faced during Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. OBJECTIVES: 1. To study whether the specific clinical characteristics in patient with symptomatic cholelithiasis undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy like Age, Gender, BMI, Previous surgeries have any relation on the difficulties faced during LC. 2. To study whether the pre-operative clinical and ultrasonography findings help predict the difficulty of LC in terms of duration of surgery, bleeding during LC, Gall Bladder bed dissection, difficulty in extraction, and conversion to Open Cholecystectomy. METHODS: In 50 eligible patients who went Laparoscopic cholecystectomy from November 2012 to November 2013, patient characteristics, Ultrasonological parameters and operative details were prospectively analysed to determine the pre-operative indicators of difficult LC. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients, the parameters that significantly predicted difficult surgery were Thickened gall bladder wall (>3mm), contracted gall bladder, stone size >1 cm (p