Laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy for carcinoma gallbladder: A case series

Introduction: Nowadays laparoscopic surgery is a very common form of treatment strategy for digestive diseases and these ‘keyhole’ surgeries provide many benefits to the patients. However, controversy exists when the laparoscopic surgery is done for early gallbladder cancer. The aim of our study was to report two such cases to see feasibility and safety of laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy with lymph node dissection. Case Series: Two patients underwent laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy with lymph node dissection for gallbladder carcinoma. Both patients were preoperatively diagnosed. Mean operative time was 172 minutes, and average estimated blood loss was 225 ml. There was no intraoperative complication. The liver dissection was done by Harmonic in one case and by Waterjet in the other case. Average hospital stay after surgery was four days. Postoperative morbidity included minimal bile leak in one patient only and no bile leak in patient operated with Waterjet system. Postoperative histopathology revealed adenocarcinoma of gallbladder with no lymph node invasion T2N0M0 (Stage II) in both patients. The mean lymph node retrieval was 5.5. Both patients received adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine and carboplatin. Conclusion: We conclude that laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy with lymph node dissection is safe and beneficial for the patients with T1b/T2 gallbladder carcinoma and is useful in selected patients with a preoperative suspicion of early-stage gallbladder cancer by sparing them the necessity of a second-stage open procedure.