title: [Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: what we can learn about].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a very usual procedure within adult population, but not as frequent in childhood. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of LC in children compared with those performed in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 39 consecutive patients who underwent LC between 2003 and 2013 at our Department and a similar sample of patients from 18 to 40 years of age from the General Surgery Department.
  
  
  RESULTS
  39 children and 40 adults fulfilled criteria to be included in the study. The most frequent indication was cholelithiasis in both groups. The mean operating time was significantly higher among children (127 min, adults 71 min, p < 0.01) but we didn't find differences neither in conversion nor in complication rates (children 5% and 7.7%, adults 2.5% and 15% respectively). In regard to preoperative factors, only male gender was correlated to a higher complication rate (p 0.037). On the other hand we found out that, in absence of complications, both the average length of stay (children 2.1 days, adults 0.5 days) and mean time to first feeding (children 21 hours, adults 8 hours) were significantly higher among children (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1) LC in childhood is a safe procedure that does not imply more morbidity than the same intervention in adults, even though a more prolonged operating time. 2) We believe that our longer hospital stay is due to certain lack of confidence with the technique and, in the future, the trend should be bent on encouraging a shorter time to first feeding and an earlier discharge.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Simal Badiolal
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corona Bellostas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sagarra Cebolla
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Velasco Sánchez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zornoza Moreno
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rojo Díez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pérez Egido
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cerdá Berrocal
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: García-Casillas Sánchez
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peláez Matal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fanjul Gómez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molina Hernando
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000379:methods*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D061646:Operative Time; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult