ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the procedure of choice for the removal of gallbladder within the paediatric population. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature spanning the last 20 years to understand the indications for and safety of LCs in children. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the published English language literature from January 2000 to June 2020 was done on PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. RESULTS: In total, 76,524 LC cases were identified from 114 studies. 78.9% of the patients were female and average age was 12 years old. Associated haematological disorders were identified in 16% of cases. The commonest indication for LC was cholelithiasis (68.4% in 66 studies), followed by cholecystitis (59.2% in 53 studies). Median operating time was 77 min. Median hospital stay was 2 days. The overall postoperative complication rate was 3.4% Major complications included bile duct injury (0.4%) and intra- or post-operative bleeding (0.9%). The conversion rate to open procedure was 2%. When comparing post-operative outcomes between emergency and elective admissions, three papers lent themselves to meta-analysis demonstrating no significant difference (p = 0.42). There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complication rate between "hot" and "cold" laparoscopic cholecystectomies (p = 0.6). CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis is the largest collection of subjects on laparoscopic cholecystectomies in children. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe operation in children, with complication rates similar or comparable to the adult literature. Cholelithiasis, cholecystitis and biliary dyskinesia were the commonest indications for LC.
