Organ injury during laparoscopy affects quality of life

Even if the repair operation is a technical ‘success’, bile duct injury (BDI) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal by ‘keyhole’ surgery) has a strong adverse effect on the patient’s quality of life for many years after the repair, say Dutch researchers.

A recent study evaluated the quality of life of 106 patients who had sustained a BDI during laparoscopic surgery and then underwent endoscopic or surgical duct repair. The patients were followed for an average of six years after the repair surgery.

The success rates for the endoscopic and surgical repairs were 94 per cent and 84 per cent, respectively. Yet, compared with healthy subjects and patients who had had uncomplicated laparoscopic gallbladder removal, the mental and physical quality of life of the injured patients was significantly less than that of the non-injured patients (Ann Surg, 2001; 234: 750-7).