A Comparison of Post Operative Port Site Pain When Gall Bladder is Retrieved from Umbilical Port Versus Epigastric Port Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. A One Year Randomized Control Trial: Single Centric Hospital Based Study

Abstract

Postoperative pain remains one of the main causes of delay in resumption of activities after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The study undertaken aimed to determine which is a superior port when the gall bladder (GB) was retrieved via the epigastric port versus umbilical port in terms of lesser post operative pain. Methodology This one year randomized controlled trial was done with the Department of Surgery, KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belagavi, from January 2016 to December 2016. A total of 40 patients posted for elective cholecystectomy were studied. The patients were divided into two groups of 20 each as Group A (GB retrieved via the Epigastric port) and Group B (GB retrieved via the Umbilical port) Results In the present study mean duration of surgery was 73.55 ± 10.6 minutes in group A and in group B it was 68.9 ± 10.3 minutes. However the difference was statistically not significant (p=0.1676) in patients with group B. The mean pain scores at all the intervals were significantly low (p<0.050) Rescue analgesia was required in 25% of the patients in group A at the 6 hour and 12 hour intervals and 55% at the 24 hour interval. However, in group B, no requirement of rescue analgesia was required. In group A, 45% of the patients had mild pain, 55 % of the patients had moderate pain when compared to group B, where all the patients had mild pain only. Conclusion and Interpretation Overall, Umbilical port could be a better port for retrieval of Gall Bladder in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in terms of lesser post operative port site pain and lesser requirement of analgesia.