Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with two mini incisions: an innovative, feasible and safe technique with superior cosmetic outcomes

Abstract

The conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC) is usually performed with four incisions in a simple and safe way. Minimally invasive surgery for gallbladder disease with advantages of less pain and smaller scars, has become increasingly popular in patients. This study aimed to describe our experience in performing a new technique of two-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (TILC) with conventional instruments and make a comparison with CLC. In this study, forty-three prospective patients undergoing TILC and another forty-three historical cases operated by CLC were involved. The patients were examined in respect of operative time, postoperative pain, cosmesis and complications. We found that there was no significant difference in the gender, age, body mass index, bile duct damage, blood loss and days of postoperative hospital stay between TILC and CLC. The mean operation time in TILC was longer than that in CLC, but not statistically different. Significantly lower postoperative pain scores were reported in the TILC group than those in the CLC one (p = 0.019). The mean cosmetic satisfaction score was significantly higher in TILC group than that in CLC group (p < 0.05). These results confirm that TILC is a safe and feasible technique with less postoperative pain and a significant improvement in cosmesis for patients, only by using conventional instruments. It may be a good alternative to CLC in the future.