SYMPTOMATIC OUTCOME AFTER LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY

To evaluate the symptomatic outcome after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a standard symptom questionnaire was sent to three patient groups at least 1 year after surgery: 115 patients had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy; 200 had undergone open cholecystectomy; and 200 had had inguinal hernia repair. Return of questionnaires was higher after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (100 of 115; 87.0 per cent) than the open procedure (167 of 200; 83.5 per cent) or hernia repair (163 of 200; 81.5 per cent). There was no difference in the number of patients who considered the operation to have cured or improved their preoperative symptoms after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (94 of 100; 94.0 per cent), open cholecystectomy (157 of 167; 94.0 per cent) or hernia repair (154 of 163; 94.5 per cent). Similar numbers considered their operation to have been a success (94.0, 95.2 and 94.5 per cent respectively). The prevalence of abdominal pain, nausea, flatulence, food intolerance and heartburn was similar in all groups of patients following operation. Diarrhoea occurred more often following laparoscopic (6.0 per cent) and open (4.2 per cent) cholecystectomy than hernia repair (1.2 per cent). Patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy tended to have a higher incidence of nausea or vomiting than those undergoing the open procedure, and consumed significantly more antacids (23.0 versus 12.0 per cent, P < 0.02). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy achieved the same rate of patient satisfaction as open cholecystectomy, with no apparent symptomatic advantage.