The effect of laparoscopic cholecystectomy on lipid profile

Background: Gallstone disease (GSD) is one of the most common surgical gastrointestinal diseases. Cholesterol is one of the constituents of gallstones. Hyperlipidemia and GSD are often linked to cholesterol in pathophysiology, and cholecystectomy is associated with hepatobiliary circulation affecting fat absorption. The aim of the study is to assess the lipid profile (LP) changes after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Methods: Prospective cohort study that included 200 patients with documented GSD and baseline measurement of LP, followed by LC for half of them, and two follow-up measurements of LP after 2 weeks and 1 month. Comparison of the LP between the two groups to estimate the difference that occur due to LC, after that, comparison of the two follow-up measurements with baseline to estimate the effect of these changes with time. Results: Total serum cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride level (TG) were significantly lower from control 1 month after surgery; on pairwise analysis, TG level was lower than baseline on both 2-week and 1-month follow-up measurements. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) was higher than the control after 1 month, on pairwise analysis at 2 weeks, no difference from baseline was found, and a significant difference was found after 1 month. Both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very LDL (VLDL) were not different from the control. Conclusion: LC is associated with a reduction of the serum level of both TC and TG and an increase serum level of HDL after 1 month of follow-up.