Clinical efficacy of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy in treatment of acute cholecystitis

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acute cholecystitis and the effect of this surgical procedure on the postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function. MethodsThis study enrolled 74 patients who were diagnosed with acute cholecystitis at Yanan University Affiliated Hospital, Shaanxi Province, China, from January 2013 to February 2014. The patients received either transumbilical laparoscopic surgery (treatment group) or conventional laparoscopic treatment (control group). Differences in operative time, intraoperative blood loss, rate of postoperative complications, time to first bowel sound, time to first flatus, time to ambulation, and hospital costs were compared between the two groups. Categorical data were compared using the χ2 test and continuous data were compared using the t test. ResultsNo significant difference was noted between the treatment group and the control group in terms of operative time (P＞0.05). However, the treatment group had significantly lower blood loss (10.5±1.5 L), rate of postoperative complications (10.8%), and hospital costs (8218±389 yuan) and significantly less time to first bowel sound (2.5±0.3 h), time to first flatus (1.6±4.1 h), and time to ambulation (9.7±5.8 h) than the control group (all P＜0.05). ConclusionTransumbilical single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and feasible procedure for the treatment of acute cholecystitis as it offers minimal trauma and fast recovery of gastrointestinal function after surgery, which warrants its greater use in clinical practice