title: The long-term effect of bile duct injuries on health-related quality of life: a meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The reported effects of biliary injury on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have varied widely. Meta-analysis methodology was applied to examine the collective findings of the long-term effect of bile duct injury (BDI) on HRQOL.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive literature search was conducted in March, 2012. Because the HRQOL surveys differed among reports, BDI and uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) groups' HRQOL scores were expressed as effect sizes (ES) in relation to a common, general population, standard. A negative ES indicated a reduced HRQOL, with a substantive reduction defined as an ES ≤ -0.50. Weighted logistic regression tested the effects of BDI (versus LC) and follow-up time on whether physical and mental HRQOL were substantively reduced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were abstracted from six publications, which encompass all reports of HRQOL after BDI in the current, peer-reviewed literature. The analytic database comprised 90 ES computations representing 831 patients and 11 unique study groups (six BDI and five LC). After controlling for follow-up time (P ≤ 0.001), BDI patients were more likely to have reduced long-term mental [odds ratio (OR) = 38.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 19.14-77.10; P < 0.001] but not physical (P = 0.993) HRQOL compared with LC patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis of findings from six peer-review reports indicates that, in comparison to LC, there is a long-term detrimental effect of BDI on mental HRQOL.
authors: Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232-2730, USA. matthew.landman@vanderbilt.edu
authors: Matthew P
authors: MP
authors: Landman
authors: Irene D
authors: ID
authors: Feurer
authors: Derek E
authors: DE
authors: Moore
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Zaydfudim
authors: C Wright
authors: CW
authors: Pinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000293:injuries*; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome