Endoscopic Sphincterotomy for Cholecysto-Choledocholithiasis Complicates Subsequent Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Retrospective Report From Sri Lanka.

Objective: Published literature so far has supported the fact that patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography and sphincterotomy (ERCPS) had a difficult perioperative course after subsequent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Through a retrospective study, this original report mentions statistics in a Southeast Asian population comparing the effect on conversion to open surgery in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy after ERCPS in a university hospital in Sri Lanka.
Methods: The results of 205 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 85 patients who were converted to open surgery between 2016 and 2018 were analyzed to find out whether ERCPS is a risk factor for conversion or subsequent perioperative morbidity.
Results: Demographics like age, gender and previous abdominal surgeries were comparable between the two groups. Cholecysto-choledocholithiasis and undergoing ERCPS for it were significant factors associated with conversion to open cholecystectomy.
Conclusion: Performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy after ERCPS for cholecysto-choledocholithiasis is a significant challenge and preferably should be often handled by a more experienced surgeon.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright © 2022, Sachintha Nandasena et al.)