Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis in children and adolescents: analysis of 50 cases from a single institution.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of symptomatic cholecystolithiasis and laparoscopic cholecystectomy complications in pediatric patients.

Methods: The medical records of 50 children and adolescents who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy were analyzed. We evaluated gender, age, body mass index, preoperative clinical aspects, perioperative complications, and gallstone composition.

Results: Among the patients, 33 (66%) were female, and 17 (34%) were male. The mean age was 11.4 ± 3.6. All patients were diagnosed with cholecystolithiasis by abdominal ultrasonography. Twelve patients (24%) had hematological disease: eight (16%) with sickle cell anemia and four (8%) with hereditary spherocytosis. Thirteen patients (26%) were obese. Twelve patients (24%) had complicated biliary disease. During the intraoperative period, three patients (6%) had excessive bleeding in the hepatic hilum, and one had an accidental injury to the common bile duct. Three (6%) postoperative complications (acute pancreatitis, common bile duct stenosis, and intestinal obstruction) were observed. Among 28 patients (56%), 25 (50%) had cholesterol gallstones, and three (6%) had bile pigment gallstones.

Conclusions: The evolution of cholecystolithiasis in the pediatric population can present serious complications, emphasizing the need to avoid temporizing cholecystolithiasis in children and adolescents because laparoscopic cholecystectomy in this group is safe, with low complication rates.