Reduced Laparoscopic Intra-abdominal Pressure During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Its Effect on Post-operative Pain: a Double-Blinded Randomised Control Trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery is regarded as the gold standard for the surgical management of cholelithiasis. To improve post-operative pain, low-pressure laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LPLC) have been trialed. A recent systematic review found that LPLC reduced pain; however, many of the randomised control trials were at a high risk of bias and the overall quality of evidence was low. METHODS: One hundred patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomised to a LPLC (8 mmHg) or a standard pressure laparoscopic cholecystectomy (12 mmHg) (SPLC) with surgeons and anaesthetists blinded to the pressure. Pressures were increased if vision was compromised. Primary outcomes..