ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To highlight the results of minimum access surgery in Sudanese patients. DESIGN: Prospective audit of laparoscopic cholecystectomies. SETTING: The Academy Medical center (Yastabshiroon), Teaching University Hospital. SUBJECTS: All the patients who had this type of surgery were included in the study. Clinical and operative data were evacuated from March 2002 to March 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: One hundred and twenty patients had laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the center. There were 97 females and 23 males; age range was 22-90 years with a mean of 52 years. Indications for surgery were repeated attacks of biliary colic in 38, chronic cholecystitis in 60, acute cholecystis in 10 and mucocele in 12 patients. RESULTS: Three patients with chronic cholecystitis had peri-portal fibrosis due to bilharzial infestations, in spite of which laparoscopic surgery was successful. Operating time was 25-120 minutes with a mean of 47 minutes. Conversion was performed in six (2%) patients because of bleeding and four for extensive dense adhesions. There was one mortality case of a 75-year-old female who had pulmonary embolus. Hospital stay was 16-24 hours with a mean of 22 hours. Two patients had port site discharge. CONCLUSION: In general, patients were satisfied with the results of surgery and this encourages us to popularise this procedure to take off in the Sudan.