Validation of a scoring system to predict difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: Acute calculous cholecystitis is one of the common conditions. The initial radiological investigation of choice is ultrasonography of the abdomen. Cholecystectomy is the definitive treatment for acute cholecystitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the procedure of choice for acute cholecystitis. Sometimes there is a need for conversion to open cholecystectomy due to intra-abdominal adhesions which make laparoscopic cholecystectomy difficult. Hence, pre-operative prediction of the risk of conversion or difficulty of operation is an important aspect of planning laparoscopic surgery. In our study, we aimed to analyse the various risk factors and to predict the difficulty and degree of difficulty pre-operative lay by the use of a scoring system. Materials and Methods: All 100 patients were evaluated and their clinical and ultrasound parameters were recorded. They received symptomatic treatment with antibiotics and analgesics preoperatively. Following that, they were subjected to laparoscopic cholecystectomy, time taken, bile spillage, stone spillage, injury to duct, artery and conversion to open cholecystectomy were noted. All patients were operated by similarly experienced surgeons. Postoperatively, cases were followed up for any complications and they were discharged on recovery. Results: Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of pre-operative with an intraoperative score in our study with area = 0.846, P = 0.0005 <0.01 is highly statistically significant at P < 0.01 level. The sensitivity and specificity of the scoring system at score 0–5 for the prediction of easy laparoscopic cholecystectomy are 89.2% and 80.0%, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity of the scoring system at score 6–10 for the prediction of difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy are 80.0% and 89.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Our study concludes that the scoring system evaluated is robust, reliable and useful to predict difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy.