Improvement in GI symptoms and quality of life after cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy not only significantly reduces GI symptoms, but also improves patients' general quality of life, shows the most recent issue of The American Journal of Surgery.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the accepted treatment for symptomatic cholelithiasis but has been criticized as an overused procedure.

Dr Kelly Finan and colleagues from Alabama assessed the effectiveness of laparoscopic cholecystectomy on reduction in gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and the impact on quality of life.

The research team conducted a prospective cohort of subjects evaluated for gallstone disease between 2001and 2004.

There was significant improvement in biliary type symptoms

American Journal of Surgery

The subjects completed preoperative and postoperative GI gallbladder symptom surveys and Short Form-36 quality of life surveys.

The GI gallbladder symptom surveys was developed to quantify the magnitude, severity, and distressfulness of 16 GI symptoms.

The researchers scored surveys and evaluated them using paired t tests.

The team included 55 subjects in the final analysis.

The research team found a significant improvement in biliary type symptoms but not reflux or irritable bowel symptoms after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Significant improvement was seen in quality of life.

Dr Finan's team concludes, “This study supports the utility of laparoscopic cholecystectomy by showing not only a significant reduction of GI symptoms but also marked improvement in patients' general quality of life.”