The safety and efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a tertiary care teaching hospital: A retrospective study

Background: The most common surgical procedure for the digestive tract is laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). In Somalia, it is estimated that over 90% of cholecystectomies are performed laparoscopically. This study aimed to assess the result of LC in terms of complications, conversion rate, and length of stay at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 564 patients who had laparoscopic cholecystectomies at Mogadishu Somali Turkish Training and Research Hospital between January 2018 and January 2022, and the essential data were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 564 patients were studied, with 99 males (18%) and 465 females (82%). The patients ranged in age from 20 to 90 years, with a mean age of 45. In our study, the operative time ranged from 15 to 90 min. Notably, dense adhesion accounted for 2.3% of conversions, followed by fibrotic gallbladder (1%), intraoperative bleeding (0.5%), and acute inflammatory adhesion (0.5%). Six patients had bile duct injuries (1.0%). Conclusion: This study found that LC is a safe and effective procedure in Somalia's tertiary care teaching hospital. The complication rate was low, and the conversion rate was minimal. These findings are consistent with other studies on the safety and efficacy of LC.